Alan Stubbs says Hearts Beni Baningime has done ‘fantastically well’ after arriving at Everton without a pair of proper football boots to his name.
Stubbs featured for Everton during his playing career and coached at the English Premier League club before going on to win the 2016 Scottish Cup as Hibs manager. Baningime shone in the Edinburgh derby on Sunday in another excellent display since his summer arrival from Merseyside.
The new Jambo has shone since arriving at Hearts and Stubbs is proud of him. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)
Baningime has quickly become an integral part of manager Robbie Neilson’s plans and Stubbs says the Everton academy product deserves credit for getting to this point – as it wasn’t handed to him on a silver patter.
Stubbs said (Sky): “A lot of people won’t know this but when Beni first turned up at Everton he didn’t have a pair of boots that fitted him and we provided boots for him. It’s a great story. He came over to this country and didn’t have an awful lot and he’s done fantastically well and he’s a credit to himself.
“His performance didn’t surprise me. He’s a real modern day footballer. When you’re in that position there’s a lot of responsibility on you and the fact he’s doing it at a really young age bodes really well for him.”
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