Former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City defender Ryan Bennett is set to put pen to paper on a new deal at League One side Cambridge United, according to Pete O’Rourke from Football Insider.
The 33-year-old, who has also represented Norwich City in the top flight, is set to stay with the League One outfit after helping the U’s secure their third division status on the final day of the 2022/23 season after signing for the club in January.
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Who is Ryan Bennett?
A no-nonsense defender, Bennett came up through the youth setup at Ipswich Town before making the switch to Grimsby Town in 2006 after he was let go by the Tractor Boys, originally joining the Mariners’ youth team.
It wouldn’t take Bennett long to make a name for himself at Blundell Park as he became the Mariners’ youngest-ever captain at the age of 17 in 2007 shortly after his first-team debut for the club.
The veteran went on to make a total of 114 appearances in total for Grimsby, scoring six goals in the process with the 33-year-old joining Peterborough United in October 2009 initially on loan, before making the move permanent in January 2010.
Bennett would make 100 appearances and scored seven goals in a two-year stay with Posh before completing a move to Norwich City in January 2012, in which during five years at the Canaries, he appeared 118 times for the club, scoring two goals in a spell in which he would play Premier League football.
Spells in the Premier League and Championship with the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Swansea City would follow, before dropping down to League One to sign for Cambridge United in January 2023 which he would help the club retain their third division status on the final day of the season after appearing 21 times for the club.
Another year in League One
The 2022/23 campaign was one of difficulty for Cambridge United but in the end, the season ended up being a successful one after ensuring they will be playing in League One for another season after a gripping final day in which the relegation fight went right down to the wire.
Surviving the drop by just one point at the expense of Forest Green Rovers, Accrington Stanley, Morecambe and MK Dons who made the plummet down to League Two, Mark Bonner’s side will now look to kick on from their 20th-place finish in the previous season as they look to make sure the club are not facing the relegation dogfight again.
The 2023/24 season will be the third straight season in which Cambridge United will be playing in the third division following promotion to League One in the 2020/21 season in which they finished second in League Two, going up alongside Cheltenham Town and Bolton Wanderers automatically, alongside Morecambe, who won the playoffs.
Writer’s View
The news that Ryan Bennett is about to extend his stay at The Abbey is one of great news for Cambridge United fans, with his experience and know-how in the final few months of the season having a big impact on the team and ensuring the club will be playing in League One football next season following a difficult campaign.
With the experience and quality the 33-year-old possesses, it could be an opportunity for the U’s to kick on and put their previous campaign behind them as they look to continue the momentum that eventually kept them in the third division. With a defender like Bennett who has plenty of Premier League appearances on his CV, Cambridge have made a solid start in putting in the foundations ahead of the new season.
