Manchester United unexpectedly have a new first-team squad member

Man Utd youngster Rhys Bennett did to leave on loan in the summer window and will be around the senior squad.

Last month, a Manchester United staff member touched on the future of Rhys Bennett.

"Rhys has his sights set high," they said. That comment was perceived as Bennett wanting a loan in the Championship, but perhaps it was alluding to the youngster's ambition to break into the senior squad.

In the final days of the transfer window, United sources said Bennett could still go out on loan, which seemed the most logical option for the defender after his Fleetwood Town stint.

However, it became clear in the final hours of deadline day that Bennett was unlikely to leave.

That leaves the 21-year-old in an interesting situation because he has clearly outgrown academy football. Bennett will only gain match fitness from playing for the Under-21s in the first half of the campaign.

Could Bennett contribute to the first-team squad? With the benefit of hindsight, maybe that is what the United staff member meant, so don't be surprised to see him in training at Carrington.

Bennett has not made his first-team debut for United, although he could sense an opportunity after Tyler Fredricson was involved. Fredricson was named on the bench against Arsenal and Fulham, and he started against Grimsby Town before being hooked at half-time in the Carabao Cup debacle.

Fredricson made two senior appearances last season. Bennett is slightly older, more experienced after his Fleetwood loan and may fancy his chances of usurping his fellow academy graduate in Ruben Amorim's plans.

No player emerged with credit from the Grimsby performance, but it was a particularly tough evening for Fredricson, who received an earful from Amorim throughout the first half.

Fredricson has always had a strong reputation in academy circles. Bennett is also highly regarded and captained the Under-18s to FA Youth Cup success at Old Trafford in 2021/22.

Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Dan Gore starred in that supremely talented young team, but Bennett was the captain and opened the scoring in the final against Nottingham Forest.

In the last three years, Bennett has watched Mainoo, Garnacho, Gore and Charlie McNeill make their senior United debuts. He shared the dressing room with those players during the FA Youth Cup run, but he's been forced to bide his time and work hard to get a sniff of a potential opening.

Has that opening finally emerged? The Denton-born lad has the next six months to achieve what he dreamt about as a kid: a debut for United. The time is now for him to push toward making it a reality.

It won't be easy for Bennett, but he must back himself to progress after watching Fredricson receive minutes. They play in the same position and Bennett will think he can achieve what Fredricson has.

Bennett should be hardened from his Fleetwood loan last season. The centre-back made 38 appearances across all competitions and gained crucial experience of fighting for points each week.

"That has been massive for me and I like having that bit of added pressure to games and scenarios," said Bennett last season about playing competitive football with Fleetwood.

“When I was younger, I used to get carried away with thinking, ‘what's the next couple of years going to look like?’ You can lose focus on what's in front of you right now. It’s still in the back of my mind, but the focus is on the next game and getting the most out of this.”

The elephant in the room is that Bennett is unlikely to feature prominently. Amorim has Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Luke Shaw; Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui as options for the back-three.

Lisandro Martinez will also return from the sidelines in the coming weeks. However, injuries could completely change the state of play and Bennett will be ready if an opportunity arises.

Click here to read article