Max Sanders believes he is already a trailblazer.

As far as he is aware, the midfielder is the first footballer from his school in Horsham to make a senior Albion squad.

But, good as that is, the under-23s skipper has other goals as he looks towards a challenging second half of the season.

Sanders is hoping for a return to Old Trafford this weekend as part of Albion’s matchday squad for their clash with in-form Manchester United.

He was on the bench last March, when they went down 2-0 in the FA Cup sixth round.

Another chance to be one of the substitutes came in the league game against Liverpool last Saturday after impressing Chris Hughton with the development squad and in training.

Sanders accepts Horsham is not a hotbed of footballing talent, certainly not in the professional ranks.

Back in the mid-1980s, forward Franco Massimo declared his ambition to make his hometown famous through his exploits with Albion.

But those big plans were wrecked by persistent injury.

Could Sanders be the man to do it?

He told The Argus: “I wasn’t initially a Brighton supporter but obviously now I am definitely a Brighton supporter.

“I played for a team, Roffey Robins, in Horsham and went to Tanbridge House school.

“A few have come through from around Horsham.

“James Tilley is from Billingshurst, which is just around the corner.

“Will Collar is from Horsham, he went to Forest (School).

“But I think I am the first to play for Brighton from my school.”

Jet-heeled Massimo, like Collar, attended Forest, the school across town.

Tanbridge can claim Sussex cricketers such as Chris Nash and Tom Haines among well-known alumni, as well as Team GB handball player Mark Hawkins and Jamie Hewlett, the artist behind Tank Girl and Gorillaz.

But Sanders’ efforts on a daily basis with the Seagulls are helping him set the pace when it comes to football.

He revealed how the under-23s get their chance to impress behind the scenes.

The 20-year-old said: “When there is an injury you step in and you have to go up and do well, otherwise you’re not going to get another chance. Last week I played in the under-23s on Monday, had a couple of days’ rest and then trained on Thursday and Friday with the first team.

“You train with them throughout the week and then get the nod if you have trained well and there’s an opportunity for you.

“I didn’t know what (Yves) Bissouma had done (in terms of injury) but I trained well and I was put in.

“It came as a surprise to me.

“I have been working really hard and I have been given a reward.

“Hopefully there are many more to come.”

Sanders is unsure whether he will be leaving on loan during the current transfer window.

He said: “Wherever I end up, I’ll work as hard as I can.

“Ultimately, I want to play in the first team here.

“That’s my goal. Just to play a minute would be amazing for me.

“I have been here for ten years. It’s hard to get there.”

Sanders has fond memories of that FA Cup call at the Theatre of Dreams.

He said: “It was an amazing experience to go to Old Trafford.

“It was my first time and one of the biggest stadiums in the world.

“We will just have to see if it happens again.”

Sanders has already been in the North West once this week.

He helped the under-23s maintain their fine seasons with a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.

Sanders plays as a neat and tidy deep-lying midfielder who can get forward and he twice tested the Reds’ keeper after making space to shoot from the edge of the box.

Simon Rusk’s side have emerged unbeaten in league games at Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool in their debut top-tier season.

The campaign could become even more challenging after important players such as Ben Barclay, Ben White and George Cox left on loan – with possibly more to follow.

Of course, there is a chance something similar might happen at the clubs they play against.

Sanders believes Albion will rise to the demands of the next few weeks and praised the efforts of a particularly young side against Liverpool when he posted on Twitter after the game.

He told The Argus: “I think anyone who plays for our group knows what is needed with their standards and everything they do.

“People have got to go out and do what they need to do on loan.

“But the players who will be stepping in will do just as good a job.

“I don’t think we will struggle. We will push on from here.

“We had a disjointed team against Arsenal but we should have beaten them (rather than draw 2-2 last week).

“They scored right at the end so we can take confidence from that.”