Lincoln City misfit Max Sanders has rejected a new deal at Crewe Alexandra and will leave the club upon expiry of his contract.
Sanders was a winter window signing in 2021, but he never truly settled with the Imps. He admitted in an interview that he didn’t even know where Lincoln was when he first signed, and he quickly fell out of favour with Michael Appleton. he missed a penalty in the League Cup defeat against Crewe in September 2021, and it went downhill from there.
The 27-year-old spent most of the 2021/22 season on the bench, scoring once against Bowers & Pitsea in the FA Cup. Appleton’s exit and Mark Kennedy’s arrival did seem to boost his chances of regular football; he started 21 League One matches in the 2022/23 season, but rarely seemed to stand out.
The final imagery of his Imps career is probably playing rock, paper, scissors for a penalty on the final day of the season, and then missing the penalty. It probably summed up his Lincoln City career: always seemingly on the cusp of promise, but ultimately cast aside by two different managers.
He left the Imps with two goals to his name from 72 appearances, but just 27 EFL starts.
He joined Orient in 2023, but had a similarly rough time there, making just nine league starts before a move to Crewe. That seemed to revitalise his career, and he’s been a key player for them over the last two seasons, starting 66 League Two matches.
He missed the back end of last season due to a hamstring injury, but finally seems to have found his rhythm. However, that won’t be at Gresty Road, as he has turned down the deal, with some fans suggesting he could be on the verge of a move to League One, looking for another stab at the level.
Sanders was a huge talent when he first signed for City, impressing for Brighton in a cup game against Preston (alongside Viktor Gyokeres and Alexis Mac Allister) and drawing national attention. His move to City should have brought him regular game time, and had he arrived at the start of the 2021/22 season, and played alongside Liam Bridcutt and Conor McGrandles all season, maybe he’d have settled quicker.
As it was, he struggled to get fit after he first arrived, and seemingly fell out of favour with Michael Appleton very shortly after his move.
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