Keanan Bennetts: Borussia Mönchengladbach's English wonderkid
The Bundesliga is home to the brightest young talents in world football. A number of are English, like the latest to reach the shores of Germany. Keanan Bennetts is the most recent diamond in Borussia Mönchengladbach's jewelry box. bundesliga.com provides the pertinent details about the English wonderkid…
Keanan Bennetts
Age: 19
Position: Attacking midfielder
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Country: England
Key stats
The 6ft tall forward can play anywhere behind the striker. Being a largely one-footed player, Bennetts is most often found on the left wing, using his blistering pace and dribbling skill to earn himself time to whip crosses into the box. Much like any modern-day forward, though, the 19-year-old can play from the right, cutting inside onto his left-foot, or even in the middle, where he allows his vision and technique to almost take up a playmaker role.
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His nine goals and five assists for Tottenham Hotspur’s U-23 team during 2017/18 were enough to persuade the Foals of Mönchengladbach to sign Bennetts. He is the second Englishman in the Gladbach squad, alongside Mandela Egbo, with sporting director Max Eberl a fan of young English talent, with Reece Oxford also spending last season on loan at Borussia-Park.
Plays a bit like:Gareth Bale
It is much, much more than just the fact that Bennetts is prodominently left-footed. The London-born talent is powerful when dribbling with the ball, superb when whipping crosses into the box and contains a deadly shot from range, much like former Tottenham man Gareth Bale.
The pair never played together in England, but, when watching Bennetts, it is clear to see that inspiration will have been taken from the Welsh forward’s style of play.
Did you know?
Bennetts is a rare breed of English player in that he is bilingual. Helpfully, his second language is Germanas his Hamburg-born mother taught him her mother-tongue growing up, allowing him far more comfort in making a move to the Bundesliga.
Watch: Bennetts an Englishman who can already speak German!
What they’re saying
"The Premier League was not a specific goal of mine. If you live in England, the goal is mostly the Premier League, but I just wanted to become a professional. If such a possibility arises, you have to take it." - Bennetts
"Keanan is still a year younger than me, so I never played with him. But he has a strong left foot, is incredibly fast, a very good player." - former Gladbach defender Reece Oxford
"Keanan can play a variety of attacking roles. We back him to make the step up to the Bundesliga. We're delighted he's chosen to sign for Borussia." - Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl
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