Almost a year to the day since he agreed his first professional contract at Bristol City, Ayman Benarous has penned a two-year extension with the Robins until 2025.
With the January transfer window now closed, City have moved quick to tie one of their prized assets down to a long-term deal with the 18-year-old having made the first-team breakthrough under Nigel Pearson this season.
Benarous has started five Championship matches, making a further three appearances off the bench and impressed with his technical qualities and versatility having played one game at left wing-back, albeit with mixed results.
The Bristol-born teenager isn't quite at the same developmental level as Alex Scott or Han-Noah Massengo but is a further show of strength from the Robins that they intended to keep their best academy talent at the club.
On deadline day City rejected an offer from Nottingham Forest for Antoine Semenyo, which fell well short of their valuation, while they have offered a new contract to Massengo amid interest from Freiburg in the Bundesliga and Premier League Watford.
"Coming up as a Bristol City boy, playing for the club is something I always dreamt of," Benarous, whose previous deal was due to expire in 2023, said. "I have worked hard and I'm glad about where I have come from and where I am going but there's still a while to go until I'm a successful Bristol City player.
"I would like to thank the manager for putting his trust in me and the other youngsters here as well, hopefully we can pick some results up on the pitch and climb the table."
Benarous has impressed Pearson not just with his ability but also his work in training and overall appetite to learn and self-development, to the point his inclusion in the matchday squad has been at the expense of far more established individuals.
He made his debut against Barnsley on October 30, just a few days after scoring a hat-trick for the Under-23s against Watford.
He is another advert for City's player pathway with the teenager having risen through the ranks since joining the club aged just six. His first professional contract was agreed on February 8, 2021 and just under 12 months later his progress has been emphasised by this new agreement.
City announced the contract with a video of Benarous playing on The Downs, re-emphasising the club's message of wanting to nurture and keep their local talent.
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