13-year-old Genk top talent might go to Anderlecht

YOUTH According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Anderlecht has the best papers to attract Ilyes Bennane. The 13-year-old youngster from Verviers debuted as the youngest ever with the Belgian U15 last month, but Genk has terminated the partnership effective immediately.


Following his debut with the national U15, Bennane was hot in the Walloon press. Jelle Van Damme, who coaches Bennane, called him "the greatest talent in Belgium and perhaps in Europe. At Genk, Bennane played two age categories higher.

'Played,' because last week Genk informed Bennane's family that the partnership was terminated immediately. "It's a story of values. We put a lot of energy into him and believed in him, but there came a moment when it was no longer manageable," Koen Daerden, technical director of the Genk academy, explained in Het Laatste Nieuws. "Nobody is bigger than the club."

Meanwhile, there is no shortage of interest in Bennane. Ajax, PSV, Leverkusen and Lille are only too eager to attract him. According to his father, Real Madrid also invited him to come and train with them for a week. At 13 years old, Bennane is still too young to be allowed to go abroad, so he will have to find a new club within Belgium. Club Brugge and Anderlecht are mentioned and, according to Het Laatste Nieuws, purple and white have the best papers. 

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