Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Mason Kane Bennett | ||
Date of birth | 15 July 1996 | ||
Place of birth | Langwith, Derbyshire, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
Playing position | Winger/Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current team
|
Derby County | ||
Number | 38 | ||
Youth career | |||
2010–2011 | Derby County | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2011– | Derby County | 32 | (1) |
2014 | → Chesterfield (loan) | 5 | (0) |
2014 | → Bradford City (loan) | 11 | (1) |
2016 | → Burton Albion (loan) | 16 | (1) |
National team‡ | |||
2011 | England U16 | 2 | (3) |
2011–2013 | England U17 | 16 | (2) |
2013– | England U19 | 4 | (4) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:24, 1 April 2017 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:48, 8 September 2014 (UTC) |
Mason Kane Bennett (born 15 July 1996) is an English professional footballer, who plays as a forward for Derby County.
He has also represented England Youth at U-16 and U-17 Level. He holds the record as Derby County's youngest-ever player, when he made his full debut with a start in a defeat at Middlesbrough on 22 October 2011 at the age of 15 years and 99 days old. He beat the previous record, set by Lee Holmes 9 years earlier, by 169 days. Bennett also holds the record of Derby County's youngest goal scorer with a goal against Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup on 5 January 2013 at the age of 16 years and 174 days old.
Born in Langwith, Derbyshire and attending Shirebrook Academy, Bennett came through the Derby County Academy at Moor Farm and showed "huge potential" at an early age, playing for the club's Under-16's side at just 14 years old and was tied to the club on a five-year contract. When discussing the club's youth policy in September 2011, Derby academy manager Darren Wassall said of Bennett: "He has a great attitude, lots of promise and lots of ability. He is a centre forward who scores goals but he has other parts to his game as well. He works very hard, he lives for football and he is from a lovely family. We have high hopes for him, as we have for many other players." Such was Bennett's ability that he was moved to the U-18 side in the 2011–12 season, and garnered much attention for his performance in a 6–1 win away to Middlesbrough U-18s, where he scored twice and set-up two goals.
He also made sparing appearances at reserve level, making his debut for the reserve team aged 14 against Sheffield Wednesday reserves on 26 October 2010. and making a substitute appearance for the reserve side in a victory at Burton Albion. Bennett's progress was such that he was named in the first team squad for the first time in the League Cup game against Shrewsbury Town on 9 August 2011, under a month after his 15th birthday. However, he remained an unused substitute as Derby lost 3–2.