Max Cooper is an 18-year-old centre-back who plays for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League. Cooper has established himself as a semi-regular starter this season, which is his first as a professional. Cooper has not appeared for Australia at youth level.
Cooper stands around 6’1″ (1.85 m) with a fairly muscular build considering his age. Cooper is very good on the ball. He consistently beats the first line of opposition pressure with his passing. It’s particularly impressive that Cooper is able to break lines with passes that teammates are consistently able to control. That said, Cooper does struggle a little bit in situations where he needs to carry the ball. His close control when running with the ball is a little bit lacking. This doesn’t come up too often, as Cooper is mostly able to pass his way out of danger. Cooper is quite strong in the air, which makes him a threat from attacking set pieces.
Cooper’s aerial strength is, of course, very helpful on defence as well. He wins a high percentage of his aerial duels thanks to good strength for his age and jumping ability. When he is unsuccessful in the air, it is usually because he has allowed an opponent to get good body position or run a pick play on him. I would expect this to improve as he gains more professional experience. Cooper is quite agile, which makes him effective at clearing away crosses at awkward heights or that are otherwise difficult to deal with. He is also generally well-positioned to cut out loose balls or attempted throughballs. There are, however, some problems. For one, Cooper is not very fast. So, if he fails to cut out a throughball, it’s basically over for him. He is also quite weak when he has to defend 1v1 against a dribbler. This means that when he has to move into a wide area to cover a fullback, he is extremely susceptible to being dribbled past.
Cooper is quite a raw player, which is unsurprising considering he is only 18 with a handful of professional appearances. However, he is a really strong passer and quite good in the air. The things he is best at are things that young players often struggle with when first making the jump to professional football. So, if he can get a little bit faster and a little bit more canny in defensive duels, I think he could reach a significantly higher level than the A-League. He will probably need at least a couple more years of development, but if his development goes well, I could see him playing for a Europa League-level team in Europe.
Target Scouting 