Beni Baningime insists his Everton struggles are nobody’s fault
Beni Baningime joined Everton as a nine-year old but has left this summer for Scottish Premiership outfit Hearts after struggling to play first-team football.
The 22-year-old midfielder made just 12 appearances for the Toffees, with all of them coming in 2017-18 under David Unsworth and Sam Allardyce.
Baningime spent his last three seasons at Everton injured and on loan spells, but he is happy with his decision to move to Scotland and has vowed to work his way back to the top.
The Toffees academy graduate told Edinburgh Evening News: “It’s just football, I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault. I’ve had a few injuries, there were different managers at Everton, sometimes you go on loan and you thought you were going to play but you didn’t.
“I don’t think that’s anyone’s fault. I’m not one of those guys who says: ‘This person didn’t play me.’ I believe in my ability and I believe that, by the grace of God, I can go right to the top if I carry on working.
“Right now, I’m just thinking about Hearts, how I can better myself and help the team.”
All the best Beni
Baningime shone for Everton youth sides and was a key player for the under-23s, playing a crucial role as they won the Premier League 2 in 2017.
However, things have not worked out since then, with loan spells at Wigan Athletic and Derby County yielding a total of three appearances.
With a year still left on his contract, he took a huge pay cut to move to Hearts, finally playing for the first time in five months as they secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over Celtic on Saturday.
It is a wise decision from the youngster, and we do hope that things work out for him.
Should he manage to stay fit, Baningime would likely boss the Premiership, and his debut was an encouraging one.
It remains to be seen whether he dreams of returning to Everton, but the midfielder could be back in England sooner or later, and we will be keeping an eye on how he fares north of the border.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned on Merseyside despite the initial promising signs, and he now has to show what he is made of in the Scottish top-flight if he has any designs of returning to the Premier League.
In other Everton news, Leicester hero gushes over 25y/o Everton player, insists he can play for England.
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on Everton and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell.