Joe Bennett

In his first season, Bennett made 30 appearances in all competitions for Villa and received praise from manager Paul Lambert as the club suffered a difficult season, finishing 15th.

Lambert praised Bennett for not hiding but stated his belief that the club needed to sign a player to "put pressure" on Bennett to improve, eventually adding Antonio Luna from Spanish side Sevilla to the squad.

In his second season, Bennett struggled to break into the first team, with increased competition from Luna and new signing Ryan Bertrand and persistent injury problems, missing three months with a persistent back problem and later suffering from tendinitis in his knee.

Joseph Bennett (born 28 March 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Oxford United.

Born in Rochdale, Bennett signed his first professional contract with Middlesbrough prior to the 2008–09 season and made his professional debut in May 2009 in the club's final game of the season.

He was named on the bench for a number of Premier League fixtures, before making his first team debut on 24 May 2009 during a 2–1 defeat to West Ham United in the final game of the 2008–09 season, replacing Tony McMahon after 46 minutes.

The defeat resulted in Middlesbrough's relegation from the Premier League.

Having been promoted to the first team, Bennett made his first appearance of the 2009–10 season in an away loss at Nottingham Forest in the League Cup, coming on as a substitute in extra time.

He made his first professional start in a 2–2 draw away at Coventry City on 26 September 2009.

He started Middlesbrough's three following matches, earning praise from manager Gareth Southgate.

However, Southgate was sacked a month later and replaced by Gordon Strachan.

During Strachan's era as manager at Middlesbrough, Bennett admitted to feeling down after struggling to break into the first team.

He asked to leave the club on loan but his request was turned down, although he was later unsuccessfully offered to several clubs for between £150,000 to £250,000.

Strachan left Middlesbrough by mutual consent after a year and the arrival of Tony Mowbray saw Bennett become a regular in the first team, as the new manager sought Bennett to play as a more attacking full-back.

A proposed loan move to Bristol City was cancelled by Mowbray and Bennett was restored to the first team.

He signed a new four and a half-year deal in January 2011, extending his stay until June 2015, and made 28 consecutive starts under the new manager, the longest run of any player, until he was forced to miss several games after contracting mumps.

At the end of the season, Bennett won the club's Young Player of the Year award.

He credited Mowbray with his improved form, commenting "without him I wouldn't be where I am now."

He went on to make more than 90 appearances in all competitions for Middlesbrough before joining Aston Villa on 29 August 2012 for an undisclosed fee.

On 29 August 2012, after making 92 appearances for Middlesbrough in four years, Bennett completed a transfer to Premier League club Aston Villa for a fee of £3million, with potential add-ons rising to £4.25million.

He made his debut on 22 September 2012, coming on as a substitute for Eric Lichaj during a 4–1 defeat against Southampton.

He made two appearances in the League Cup in the opening months of the season but did not make another appearance for Villa until 8 February 2014, when he replaced Bertrand during a 2–0 defeat to West Ham United.

Three days later, he made his first league start of the season, playing in an unfamiliar left midfield role during a 0–0 draw with Cardiff City.

He made just seven appearances in all competitions during the season.

Having lost his place in the first team to Aly Cissokho, on 21 August 2014, Bennett joined Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on a season-long loan, with Brighton manager Sami Hyypiä describing him as "a dynamic left-back who's very comfortable on the ball."

He made his debut for the club in a 2–1 victory over Bolton Wanderers on 23 August 2014.

After one season as a regular in the first team, he struggled to establish himself in the side and, after loan spells with Brighton & Hove Albion, AFC Bournemouth and Sheffield Wednesday, he was sold to Cardiff City in 2016.

With Cardiff, he gained promotion to the Premier League after finishing as runners-up in the Championship during the 2017–18 season.

At international level, he has been capped at U-19, U-20 and U-21 levels for England.

Bennett was born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, but moved to the northeast, settling in the village of Swainby in North Yorkshire, when he was 10 following his parents' separation.

He has a sister named Ali and attended Stokesley Secondary School.

His father Adrian played football at amateur level and encouraged him to play football at a young age and Bennett's idol was Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard.

As well as football, Bennett also played netball, after being introduced to the sport by his mother, who was a coach, golf and tennis.

Bennett began playing football for Northallerton Town at youth level, scoring four times in his first match.

One of the coaches at the club, Andy Ramsbotham, also worked for Middlesbrough as a scout and recommended Bennett for a trial with the club, resulting in him joining Middlesbrough's youth academy.

However, he suffered a setback when he was de-registered by Boro at under-15 level meaning, although he could still train with the side, he was ineligible to play for them.

He later had an unsuccessful trial with Newcastle United before dropping back into local Sunday league football on the recommendation of assistant academy manager Stan Nixon.

During his year away from Middlesbrough, Bennett switched from his usual role as a full-back, instead playing as a forward, and "worked really hard on (his) fitness and strength" later commenting that the experience made him realise "how badly I wanted to make it."

He was signed on again at the Riverside Stadium after a year, being awarded a scholarship with the under-16 side before being promoted to the club's reserve side in his late teens.

Following his spell in the reserves, Bennett secured a two-year professional deal and named in the senior squad for the first time.