Mason Bennett impressed by the commitment of new Derby County manager Phillip Cocu

Striker Mason Bennett says he has been impressed with the research new manager Phillip Cocu conducted before his arrival at Derby County.
Mason Bennett in action for Derby during their play-offs final against Aston Villa at Wembley. (PHOTO BY: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Mason Bennett in action for Derby during their play-offs final against Aston Villa at Wembley. (PHOTO BY: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Mason Bennett in action for Derby during their play-offs final against Aston Villa at Wembley. (PHOTO BY: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Cocu divulged in his first interview with the club that he had watched Derby games from last season, as well as other matches in the division.

And Bennett, who enjoyed a solid campaign when Derby reached the play-offs final last season, has already heard first hand what the new boss thought of him.

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“He said it was a really positive season for me but he had also seen a lot on what I can improve on,” Bennett told RamsTV and Derby’s official website.

“He is a top-quality manager and had a great playing career, so you’ve got to take advice from a gaffer like that and that’s what I’m going to do.

“It shows his commitment to the club. I saw our chairman, Mel Morris, talking and he said the gaffer had come with his own ideas and had seen what the players could do.

“It’s important, as players, to know that you’ve got a manager who is committed to the club.

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“We have little chats between the drills and the sessions. We get a lot of advice and it’s nice to have a different kind of management going on.”

The manager also revealed his intentions to play an attacking brand of football which will excite the Derby supporters. It also excites Bennett, who contributed three goals last season.

“The final third is where we like to play, and that goes for the whole team,” Bennett said.

“Our midfield like to get forward and for the likes of myself, Tom Lawrence, Florian Jozefzoon, Chris Martin, Jack Marriott and Martyn Waghorn, we all like to play in that final third, and the manager is really helping us develop our game.”

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For the time being, however, Bennett is happy to be back among his teammates after the summer break.

“I’m delighted to be back,” he said. “It was nice to have the first couple of weeks off and then I started to miss the boys, to be honest.

“We have a lot of team spirit going on. Things have kicked off right where we left them. It’s nice to see Chris Martin and George Thorne around. They are big personalities and we all bounce off each other.”