Benarous still has dreams of reaching the top

VERSATILE 21-YEAR-OLD HAS HAD A TOUGH TIME WITH BIG INJURIES

- By CHRIS ERRINGTON

AYMAN Benarous is hoping he did enough on his full Plymouth Argyle debut in the midweek Carabao Cup first round win against Queens Park Rangers to be picked by Tom Cleverley to start the League One away game against Lincoln City tomorrow.

Benarous has had a terrible time with injuries over the past three years but he sees his move to the Pilgrims this summer after leaving Championship club Bristol City as a chance to kickstart his career.

The 21-year-old, signed by Argyle after a preseason trial, played in his first competitive match since April 2022 when he was a substitute in the 2-0 League One defeat away to Bolton Wanderers last weekend.

He then made his full debut against a young QPR side at left-back, and came up with an assist for one of the goals as Argyle battled back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to eventually come out on top 3-2.

Benarous said: "I'm really happy to get my first start. Hopefully it's something to build off. It was a long time out injured at my previous club and it makes it all the more sweet when you come back and you have a win like that, and through to the next round, which is nice."

A graduate of Bristol City's academy, Benarous broke into their first team during the 2021/22 season and there were high hopes for him. However, two successive ACL knee injuries, and then hamstring issues, put him out of action and he admitted it had been very difficult for him.

"I don't think I could put it into words to be honest," said Benarous. "I think you appreciate your love of the game a bit more and I just want to be out there every week now."