Rhys Bennett (footballer, born 2003)

Rhys Bennett

Bennett with Stockport County in 2023/24
Personal information
Date of birth	(2003-10-30) 30 October 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth	Denton, England
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Fleetwood Town (on loan from Manchester United)
Number	15
Youth career
0000–2023	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2023–	Manchester United	0	(0)
2024	→ Stockport County (loan)	2	(0)
2024–	→ Fleetwood Town (loan)	16	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:06, 25 January 2025 (UTC)

Rhys Joseph Wright Bennett (born 30 October 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Fleetwood Town on loan from Manchester United. ^[1]

Early life

Bennett is from Denton, Greater Manchester. He attended Stalybridge Celtic Juniors' soccer school as a six-year-old. He went to school at Russell Scott Primary School in Tameside, and Audenshaw High School. ^{[2] [3]}

Career

A centre-half, ^[4] Bennett is a product of the Manchester United academy having joined the club at U10 level. He signed a first professional contract with the club in 2022. ^[5] Bennett captained the Manchester United U18 FA Youth Cup side to victory in the 2021-22 season. ^[6] He also scored in the final, a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest U18. ^[7] He travelled with the United first team squad on their mid-season training camp to Spain in December 2022, but missed six months at the start of 2023 with injury. ^[8]

In July 2023, he signed a new professional contract with the club. ^[9] He was named as part of the senior United match-day side, in December 2023 in an away Premier League tie with West Ham United. ^{[10] [11]} In January 2024, he joined EFL League Two side Stockport County on a six-month loan. ^[12] He made his Stockport league debut on 17 February 2024 against Tranmere Rovers. ^[13]

On 29 August 2024, Bennett joined League Two club Fleetwood Town on a season-long loan deal. ^[14]

Career Statistics

Club

As of match played 25 January 2025 ^[1]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester United U21	2021–22	—			—		—		—		0	0	0	0
	2022–23	—			—		—		—		3 [a]	0	3	0
	2023–24	—			—		—		—		2 [a]	0	2	0
	Total		—		—		—		—		5	0	5	0
Manchester United	2023–24	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2024–25	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stockport County (loan)	2023–24	League Two	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	1	0
Fleetwood Town (loan)	2024–25	League Two	16	0	0	0	1	1	—		2 [a]	0	19	1
Career total			17	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	7	0	25	1

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

References

1. Rhys Bennett at Soccerway. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
2. Bugby, Tony (1 June 2022). "Denton teenager Rhys captains Manchester United to FA Youth Cup triumph". Tameside Correspondent. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
3. Frost, Mark (24 January 2022). "Former Audenshaw School pupil signs professional terms with Manchester United". Quest Media Network. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
4. Charlesworth, Ricky (22 October 2022). "Who is Rhys Bennett? Manchester United youngster profiled after promotion to first-team training". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
5. Bugby, Tony (27 January 2022). "Former Celtic Juniors' player earns professional contract at Manchester United". Tameside Correspondent. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
6. Railston, Steven (23 September 2023). "Manchester United centre-back Rhys Bennett close to return from injury". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
7. Stone, Simon (11 May 2022). "FA Youth Cup: Record crowd watch Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
8. Smith, George (3 July 2023). "Manchester United youngster shares delight at making return in pre-season training". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
9. Railston, Steven (24 July 2023). "Manchester United youngsters Dan Gore and Rhys Bennett sign new contracts". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
10. "Premier League: West Ham v Man Utd - Kambwala makes debut". BBC Sport. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
11. "Willy Kambwala handed Manchester United debut with Raphael Varane out through illness". The Athletic. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
12. "Stockport sign Man Utd defender Bennett on loan". BBC Sport. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
13. "Tranmere Rovers 4-0 Stockport County". BBC Sport. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
14. "Rhys Bennett joins Town on season-long loan". www.fleetwoodtownfc.com. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.