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MAKING HUGE WAVES . . . Zimbabwean football starlet Kundai Benyu (right) is attracting huge interest in the United Kingdom, with English Premiership giants Tottenham Hotspur and Scottish champions Glasgow Celtic battling for his signature

Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
A FIERCE scramble involving some of the top clubs in the English Premiership, led by Tottenham Hotspur, has erupted as they battle for the signature of Zimbabwe teenage football wonder kid Kundai Benyu.

The 19-year prodigy has been making the headlines this week in the British Press, with Daily Mail strongly linking him to Spurs, while Scottish champions Celtic are also fighting to get him.

Benyu, who was born in London to Zimbabwean parents, is also being chased by Aston Villa and West Ham.

The football prodigy is eligible to play for Zimbabwe. He has been on the books of championship side Ipswich Town, but is set to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires.

Benyu, who can play as a playmaker or box-to-box midfielder, has convinced scouts that he could be the next big thing in the game.

He was sent out on loan to National League side Aldershot in December after a fallout with the Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy.

The teenage midfielder was always touted for a big future after he broke into Ipswich’s first team squad as a 16-year-old.

Scouts have been hovering over the starlet after he distinguished himself at Aldershot, when he helped the club push for a place in the National League play-offs, scoring five goals and two assists in the process.

“I needed to get some first-team football and it wasn’t going to happen straight away, so Aldershot was recommended as a good club to play.

“I spoke to Adam Webster, who told me good things about the club and gaffer, he said that the gaffer here was really good and that he would look after me and the lads were a good bunch.

“I want to play as many games as possible and get a good experience of men’s football. I want to help the side get three points every week too,” he told the Hampshire newspaper when he began the loan spell.

According to the reports, Tottenham are the front-runners in the race for his signature.

Tottenham have long admired Benyu and invited him to be part of their NextGen Series squad in Amsterdam last year.

Benyu may find it difficult to resist the lure to work under Mauricio Pochettino, who has been credited for improving young players and turning the likes of Harry Kane, Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, Eric Dier and Dele Alli into international stars.

But Villa manager Steve Bruce is also keen to have him while Brendan Rodgers has been following the youngster from Scotland.

Benyu says Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera is his inspiration.

“Without blowing my own trumpet, I’d like to compare myself to United’s Ander Herrera, my short passing and driving at the defence are probably my strongest attributes,” he said.

Benyu is described as “a high-energy box-to-box player, who can also operate as a playmaker” who “has a good eye for goal, a decent footballing brain for a pass and he knows how to strike a dead ball.”

The Independent Ipswich Town website took a scouting mission during some of his games for Aldershot and they noted: “He looks very comfortable on the ball with most passes short and accurate and mainly looking to move forward.

“Good vision and definitely has an eye for the killer pass.

“He takes all of the set pieces for the Shots, free-kicks and corners, and always wants to be involved.”

Benyu is just one of the many Zimbabwean football talents scattered abroad.

There is a strong contingent of Zimbabwe players in England who include Tendayi Darikwa, Macauley Bonne, Tristan Nydam, Tinashe Chakwana Jonathan Fusco, Admiral Muskwe and Brendan Galloway.