BURTON Albion have signed Mason Bennett on a permanent deal after the expiry of his contract at Millwall.
The 26 year-old scored 11 times in 103 outings for Millwall and joins the Brewers on a two-year deal.
Bennett originally joined the Lions on loan from Derby County during the January 2020 transfer window, before making the move permanent to The Den later that summer for an undisclosed fee.
Bennett was part of the side that helped the Brewers to gain promotion to the Championship in 2016, making 16 appearances. He has also had loan spells with Chesterfield, Bradford City and Notts County during his career.
Bennett was an Academy graduate with the Rams and is the club’s youngster-ever player after making his debut at the age of 15 years and 99 days against Middlesbrough in October 2011.
He made 89 first-team appearances in total during his time at Pride Park, scoring on six occasions.
On signing, Bennett said: “I’m delighted to be back. I have fond memories here. Obviously, the last time I was here we got promoted to the Championship and there’s great people around the club.
“It’s nice to be closer to home again and there was opportunities to go elsewhere, but the main thing is to play games and enjoy football again.
“There are great supporters here and I think the infrastructure is in place at Burton for anyone to play and enjoy themselves.
“After speaking to the manager, he only wants us to go one way. I will do my all to do my best for the football club and for the team.”
After fighting off competition to secure Bennett, Dino Maamria said: “He’s a top, top player. He fits in exactly to the type of character we’re looking for. He’s a fully committed player.
“He’s brave and plays on the front foot and causes teams problems. He’s a real coup for us and I think our fans will love him with the way he plays and the commitment he shows on the pitch.
“He’s only 26 and he’s got a lot of improvement in front of him as well. He’s definitely a Championship player and had chance to join other clubs in that league.
“We are very lucky to have him and hopefully we get the best out of him on a consistent basis.”