Talented youngster Hany Mukhtar has finally made his long-awaited move to SL Benfica, with rumours rife for the past few weeks.

The 19-year-old had seemingly given his Hertha Berlin career new life, after playing a key role in Germany under-19's rise to European Championship victory.

Mukhtar was a constant menace throughout the tournament and even scored the winning goal against Portugal in the final.

Although he managed ten games in the 2013/14 campaign, none of which he played the full ninety minutes, the summer success couldn't force him into the team.

He didn't make a single appearance for Jos Luhukay's men this season and contract talks broke down, so it made sense for Hertha to cash in with his contract up in the summer.

His deal at Benfica is a sizeable one, joining until June 2020 and for a measly €500,000; it is somewhat surprising that no Bundesliga club made a move for his signature.

The current Portuguese champions had been linked with a whole host of promising, young Germans from the summer, though this is the only deal to bear fruit.

Besar Halimi, Loris Karius and Yannick Gerhardt all opted to stay with their respective clubs and signed long-term contracts despite Benfica's interest.

Whether Mukhtar is able to buck the trend successfully remains to be seen, but he becomes only the sixth German to test the waters in the Primeira Liga.

The youngster took to Instagram to celebrate the move:

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About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]