If you want excitement, if you want plenty of bang for your buck, then look no further than Notts County. In their last four games in England’s League Two, the promotion-chasing outfit have scored or shipped a remarkable 24 goals, almost half of those coming in Saturday’s bizarre, almost cartoonish 5-5 draw with Grimsby Town.
Aaron Nemane scored twice in that 10-goal thriller. In fact, since Christmas, the former Rangers loanee has found the net four times in his last three outings.
Nemane now needs only one more to make 2023/24 the most prolific campaign of his rather odd career. A career which started out at Manchester City and took him through Rangers, Go Ahead Eagles, Royale Union Tubize-Braine and Torquay United in the national league, before bouncing back – at the age of 26 – with one of the most ambitious and upwardly-mobile clubs in the EFL.
Former Rangers man shining in England now
In truth, Nemane’s short-lived spell at Ibrox is probably best left forgotten. And that’s handy, because forget it most have.
Nemane joined amid lofty expectations when Man City green lit a loan deal during the summer of 2017, then director of football Mark Allen using his connections at the Etihad Stadium to get the transfer done. Head coach Pedro Caixinha, admittedly a man who had a track record for exaggerating things, described Nemane as a ‘very gifted player’. A ‘quick and aggressive’ winger capable of making quite the impact at Ibrox.
In the end, Nemane made just six appearances before departing that following January. Certainly more Amad Diallo than Vladimir Weiss.
But, after going from one of Europe’s most feted academies to the depths of non-league, Nemane is belatedly making good on that ‘immense potential’, seven years on from one of the most forgettable loan spells in Rangers’ modern history.
Bouncing back at Notts County
“In Aaron’s time at the club, he’s gone from a player capable of producing great moments to one who can make a big impact from first minute to last,” a statement on the Notts County website read after Nemane was rewarded with a new contract a few months back.
“His concentration, game-understanding and self-belief have all come on a long way. Resulting in a brilliant 2022/23 season capped by sensational performances in our play-off campaign.
“We also feel Aaron has unique characteristics. He’s incredibly quick and, with his low centre of gravity and close control, extremely elusive.
“We feel he can still improve a lot. We’re very excited to give him the platform to realise his immense potential.”
