Max-Aarons-Player

Signed on Thursday for an initial £7million from Norwich City, Aarons has only had one training session with his new teammates. Cherries start their Premier League campaign with the visit of West Ham to Vitality Stadium tomorrow afternoon (3pm). The absence of Adam Smith and Ryan Fredericks means head coach Iraola has a headache at right-back, with Aarons the only fit senior player who is a natural at the position. Aarons did not feature in any of Norwich City’s pre-season friendlies this summer after it was made abundantly clear that he was looking to move to pastures anew. The 23-year-old had entered the final 12 months of his deal at Carrow Road, and after 213 appearances for the Canaries, had felt he had accomplished all he could with Norwich. Whilst Aarons was absent for Norwich’s pre-season fixtures, he did compete for England’s under-21s this summer, helping the Young Lions lift the under-21 European Championships. The injured Smith missed the final pre-season of the season, with winger Jaidon Anthony deployed in his stead. Iraola mentioned that Anthony was again in his thoughts at right-back, but that he could also turn to Chris Mepham if he needed a more defensively-sound alternative. Primarily a centre-back, Mepham has previously played as a full-back under former Cherries managers. James Hill is another centre-back that has moonlighted as a right-back, both for loan club Hearts last year and for Cherries this pre-season. Asked if Aarons was available to start against West Ham, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “Yes, I think it's an option. “It's an option. “We can start also with Jaidon (Anthony). “We can go with Chris (Mepham) if we want to go more defensive. “We have two, three options that we could use. “But first I would like to see how they train today and take the final decision.” The deal for Aarons could potential rise to £13million. The England under-21 international is viewed both as a prospect for the feature, but experienced, having already played 70 times in the Premier League. Discussing his defensive recruit, Iraola shared: “I think for his age, he has already a good bunch of Premier League games. “I think he has been playing in this level. “He has international experience. “He has been playing this summer with national teams. “And I think he will help us straight away, even if he's young. “He's not as young as some of the signings we made. “He has the experience and he will help us for sure.”