Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham prospects all feature among our Premier League teenage XI.
There is a fascination with young players within the modern game. Most Premier League teams spend a fortune on their academies and youth setups, and supporters want to see exciting young talents breaking into the first team and making a big impression.
Despite this, the finances of the Premier League are such that many managers and teams are reluctant to do so. The Football League is littered with teenagers who are first team regulars, some as young as 16, but in the Premier League, there are barely any 19-year-old’s playing regular football, never mind 16-year-old’s.
Nowhere is that better exhibited than here, with even our Premier League teenage XI only containing a few players that genuinely play regular football for their clubs. The XI picked have been chosen largely on the grounds of current ability, rather than potential, although in the case of teenage players the two are of course likely to go hand-in-hand.
Manchester United starlets Marcus Rashford and Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Goalkeeper: Thomas Glover (Tottenham)
Goalkeepers typically develop and break into the first team much later than outfield players, and there are no teenage ‘keepers currently playing first team football in the Premier League. Of all the teenage goalkeepers in the Premier League, Thomas Glover is arguably the one currently best equipped for the senior game.
The 19-year-old Spurs ‘keeper currently plays for Australia’s under-19’s and Tottenham’s under-21’s, and is highly-regarded as White Hart Lane, but faces a tough task dislodging Hugo Lloris anytime soon.
Right-Back: Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham)
Chelsea’s Ola Aina would be in this team a month ago, but the full-back turned 20 in October, so instead, it’s another Tottenham player, Kyle Walker-Peters. It is a tad unusual that the man who could replace Kyle Walker in the Spurs team is called Kyle Walker-Peters, but that’s the truth of the matter.
Equally capable of playing at right or left-back, the 19-year-old is much like Kyle Walker, in that he is a marauding full-back with blistering pace.
Centre-Back: Joe Gomez (Liverpool)
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez
One of the more experienced players in this XI, Joe Gomez already has a season of Championship football and 7 first team appearances for Liverpool under his belt. Born to a Gambian father and an English mother, Gomez has represented England at 4 different youth levels.
A winner with England’s under-17’s at the 2014 European Championship’s, the 19-year-old was brought to Anfield for £3.5 million in 2015 and recently returned to action after more than a year out through an ACL injury.
Centre-Back: Reece Oxford (West Ham)
Reece Oxford seems to have been touted for big things for a while already now but the West Ham prospect is still only 17. He made his Hammers league debut on the opening day of last season in a 2-0 win over Arsenal, recording 100% pass accuracy at just 16.
Since then, the England under-21 international has had less first team football than many may have expected, but he has still been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, and West Ham still have very high hopes for him.
Left-Back: Ben Chilwell (Leicester)
Ben Chilwell won’t be a teenager for much longer, the England under-21 international turns 20 in December. The left-back made his Foxes debut against Hull City in the League Cup last season, where he was given a tough time by Mo Diame, who played on the right wing that day.
Hull’s Josh Tymon could rival Chilwell for his position in this team, but the Leicester man is two years Tymon’s senior, and currently more equipped top flight football, although he has only played 3 games for Leicester to date.
Defensive Midfield: Timothy Fosu-Mensah (Manchester United)
Manchester United youngster Timothy Fosu Mensah
A versatile young player, capable of playing at right-back, centre-back and more recently in defensive midfield, which looks like it could become the 18-year-old’s future spot. A Dutch international brought to Old Trafford from Ajax, Fosu-Mensah has made 14 appearance for Manchester United.
Central Midfield: Lewis Cook (Bournemouth)
Whilst many of the players in this XI have had only sporadic tastes of first team football, Lewis Cook has racked up more than 80 appearances within the senior game. He broke into the Leeds United first team in 2014, and made an instant impact.
He joined Bournemouth in the summer, for a fee which could reportedly rise to as much as £10 million, and whilst he is yet to impress for the Cherries, he is only 19 and is still expected to become a very important player with time at the Vitality Stadium.
Central Midfield: Joshua Onomah (Tottenham)
Arsenal have two quality teenage central midfielders in Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Gedion Zelalem, and either could make this starting XI, but ultimately both are just nudged out by Tottenham’s Josh Onomah, who we believe has slightly more about him.
The England under-21 international has so far made 25 first team appearances for Tottenham, and whilst he hasn’t always impressed, his form in youth outings shows why enormous things are expected of the 19-year-old.
Right Wing: Dominic Solanke (Chelsea)
Dominic Solanke celebrates scoring for Chelsea
Chelsea starlet Dominic Solanke likes to play through the middle, but a number of coaches have utilised him out wide and it is there that he features in this XI. An England youth international since the age of 15, Solanke scored 7 goals in 25 games at Vitesse last season.
He has made only one senior appearance for Chelsea, but along with the likes of Tammy Abraham and Charlie Colkett, Solanke is considered one of the brightest prospects at Stamford Bridge and a future first team star.
Left Wing: Ramadan Sobhi (Stoke)
Similarly to Lewis Cook, Ramadan Sobhi is a 19-year-old who already has a lot of football under his belt. Having emerged at Al Ahly, the biggest club in Egypt, and having become a star man for both club and country at just 18, it was always a question of which top flight European club would get their hands on Sobhi, not if.
In the end it was Stoke, despite interest from the likes of Arsenal, RB Leipzig and Roma. Perhaps Sobhi saw more first team opportunities with the Potters, and he has already played 6 games so far this campaign, showing glimpses of why he is Egyptian footballs next great hope.
Centre-Forward: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
The outstanding name in this starting XI, Marcus Rashford has had a quite incredible 2016. The 19-year-old made his debut in February, scoring a brace in the Europa League. He then marked his Premier League debut with two goals and an assist against Arsenal, before finding the net once more a week later against Manchester City.
His game time has been a little limited this season under Jose Mourinho, but Rashford is still in the England squad and on the fringes of the Manchester United team at 19, and was a runner-up for this years European Golden Boy award.
Who is the best teenage prospect in the Premier League?
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