Who is Beni Baningime, and what position does Everton youngster compared to N’Golo Kante play?
Caretaker David Unsworth gives debut to the 19-year-old in Carabao Cup clash against Chelsea
BENI BANINGIME makes a surprise debut for Everton as the Merseyside team head to Stamford Bridge tonight.
The youngster trained with the first team on Tuesday, after a show of faith from former U23s boss Unsworth.
SunSport takes a closer look at the Merseyside whizzkid.
Who is Beni Baningime?
Born in Kishasa, Congo on September 9, 1998, he decided to play for England after moving to the country.
Baningime joined the Everton academy at the age of nine, working his way through the youth system.
The midfielder captained the U18s to victory in the Dallas Cup in the 2015/16 season.
Later that year he was offered a bumper deal in his first ever pro contract, moving up to the U23 team managed by David Unsworth.
What position does he play?
Baningime thrives in a holding midfielder role, just in front of the back four.
Thus drew the comparisons to last season's PFA Player of The Year, Chelsea's N'Golo Kante.
Like most promising youngsters, it isn't enough to be a tough tackler, he's also proficient with the ball at his feet and building attacks.
What have people said about him?
Unsworth himself has been full of praise for the young player, saying Everton have "high hopes" for him.
After an impressive 3-0 win for the U23s against Man City, he said: “You could single out the goalkeeper, Garbutt, Feeney, Markello- who’s hardly played for us and was outstanding at right back- but Baningime was the best player on the pitch.
“He just gets better and better. I haven’t seen anyone at this level, in the five years I’ve been here, who does what he does better than him. He’s a top player at this level and we have high hopes for him.”
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