GARY Rowett has challenged Mason Bennett to become a “double-figure striker” after Millwall gave a new contract to the former Derby attacker following one of the best seasons of his career.
Bennett played 41 games and scored six goals in 2020-21, both of those numbers his highest in a season across 10 campaigns as a senior professional.
Former England youth international Bennett, 24, joined the Lions first on loan in January 2019 but injures restricted him to just nine appearances in the rest of the season.
Millwall had a permanent deal in place for Bennett but renegotiated the terms after his injury issues before that transfer went through last August.
Bennett didn’t score in the first 15 games of last season before his goal in the 2-0 win at Bristol City in December.
But he really took off after the turn of the year, particularly after being moved into a front two with Jed Wallace in a 5-3-2 formation.
Bennett scored five goals in the last 17 games of the season before Millwall rewarded him with a new deal.
“It was something [the contract offer] that when you look over the season you could see he had a very strong campaign,” Rowett said.
“For Mase he was in a position where he sort of needed to prove it, to play games and stay fit. Having done that I think what the club have always tried to do is reward players for those types of performances.
“That’s something that we felt was important for him.
“What he needs to do now is continue his form because he’s had a really good season but I think it’s just the start for Mase, I think he’s got a lot more to come.
“I‘m really pleased with him. He absolutely loves it at the club and we’re hoping coupled with the fact that he’s here for longer and the little bit of commitment shown by the club, that he can go on and be an even more important player for us next season.”
Rowett wants to recruit a centre-forward this summer to try to boost an area where Millwall have struggled in the last two seasons.
Wallace scored 11 league goals last season and Rowett hopes Bennett, along with a new striker, can get into double figures in the 2021-22 Championship.
Bennett played mostly on either side of a front three or as a winger earlier in his Millwall career, but Rowett now sees him as a central attacker.
“The formations we’ve played, either three up front or two up front, if we play with three then they tend to play quite narrow, close to each other,” Rowett explained. “So we didn’t really play with conventional wingers for much more than four or five games last season.
“I see Mason as a central player. I see him as one of those front three, front two and therefore I think he can score more goals.
“You’re in a better position in front of the goal, you’re closer to the action, you’re not spending all of your time running back helping your full-back out.
“Goals are what we’re after and the likes of Mase has got to step up and become a double-figure striker rather than five or six. Which is a good start, but we want more than that.
“I’ve been very pleased with hm.”
Image: Millwall FC