Ben Brereton


Benjamin Anthony Brereton is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Blackburn Rovers and the England under-20 team.

Early life

Brereton was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and attended Blythe Bridge High School.

Club career

Nottingham Forest

Brereton signed with Championship club Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2015 after his release from Stoke City. Following his impressive form in the club's academy teams, with 15 goals in 20 appearances, Brereton signed a new contract with the club on 31 December 2016. Brereton made his first-team debut for Forest on 25 January 2017 as a 76th-minute substitute during a 2–0 loss to Leeds United. He scored his first goal on 4 February, netting in injury-time against Aston Villa to give Forest a 2–1 victory.
On 27 March 2017, having made ten appearances and scoring against Fulham and Brentford, Brereton was nominated for the Championship Apprentice of the Year award. He was one of three players nominated, the others named as Lloyd Kelly of Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday's George Hirst. Brereton was announced as the winner at the EFL Awards at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, on 9 April. He signed a long-term contract with Forest on 22 June 2017, keeping him under contract at the club until June 2021.

Blackburn Rovers

On 28 August 2018, Brereton signed for Blackburn Rovers on loan, with a view to making the transfer permanent in the January 2019 transfer window. On 4 January 2019, the move was made permanent for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £7m.

International career

In March 2017, Brereton received his first call-up to an England side after being named in the under-19s squad for games against their Spanish, Norwegian and Belarusian counterparts. Having started his side's 3–0 defeat of Spain and coming off the bench for the 5–1 beating of Belarus, manager Keith Downing praised his performances and ease at settling into the squad.
Brereton was subsequently called up to represent England at the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. In the group stage, he scored the winner against the Netherlands and twice against Germany. Brereton was a second-half substitute during the victory against Portugal in the final. His total of three goals meant Brereton was joint top goalscorer at the tournament. Brereton also played at the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, scoring his only goal of the tournament in the opening group stage match against Turkey.

Career statistics

Honours

England U19
Individual