Derby County manager Nigel Clough has hailed the maturity of Mason Bennett after the 15-year-old became the club's youngest ever first-team player this afternoon.
Despite his tender age, the midfielder produced an eye-catching display and even struck the crossbar during County's 2-0 loss to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.
After the match, Clough was full of praise for the teenager.
"He's not bad for a kid of 15 years and 99 days, is he?" he said. "It was a very mature debut.
"He is a very exciting prospect. He wasn't far away from a goal in the second half when he put it against the bar. He'll be thinking about that one for a while."
However, Clough has revealed that Bennett will not be featuring for the Rams on a regular basis.
"He's done very well but we can't expect that in every game and he won't be involved every week. That's too much to expect," added the boss.
"He'll be back training with the under-18s next week because it is half-term from school."
Bennett has taken the record previously held by Lee Holmes.
Liam Apicella
