Players from Everton, Leeds, Aston Villa, West Brom and Fulham make the list, though only one has made a real impression in the Premier League.
Hoping to follow in the successful teenage Goodison Park footsteps as Danny Cadamarteri, Francis Jeffers, Wayne Rooney and James Vaughan, was Everton’s youngest ever player, Jose Baxter. The Liverpool-born Baxter made his debut for the first team on the opening day of the 2008-09 season, aged 16 years and 191 days – a feat which makes him the fifth youngest debutant at present.
After managing only seven league games in four seasons at Everton, Baxter rejected a contract extension and left to join Oldham Athletic in 2012. After a successful first season at Oldham, Baxter joined Sheffield United, playing more than 100 times for the Blades. The midfielder’s spell at Bramall Lane involved 28 goals but also saw two suspensions for indiscipline.
Baxter, at just 24-years of age, is currently without a club having been released by United in 2016.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy became Aston Villa’s youngest ever representative in the Premier League when he replaced Christian Benteke during Villa’s 4-0 victory over Sunderland in March 2015. At the time, Hepburn Murphy was 16 years and 176 days old – which also made him the fourth youngest player in Premier League history.
However, whether Hepburn-Murphy, who has made just one league appearance in each of the last two seasons, continues his trade at Villa Park remains to be seen – as the pacey forward is currently experiencing somewhat of a contract stand-off with the Midlands club.
In August 2003, aged just 16 years and 128 days, Leeds United’s Aaron Lennon became the youngest player to play in the Premier League. The winger’s debut, in the form of a substitute appearance, was in a narrow defeat against Lennon’s future employers Tottenham Hotspur. Presently, Lennon has slipped to the third youngest top-flight player and, now 29-years of age, has enjoyed more than a successful decade at the top of the domestic game.
In 2005, as Leeds’ financial situation deteriorated, Lennon departed for Spurs for and made over 350 appearances for the North London side – in addition to winning 21 England caps. Lennon continues to scuttle along the right flank at current side Everton, after joining in 2015.
Isaiah Brown is a product of West Bromwich Albion’s youth system and made his Premier League debut for the Baggies in 2013, aged 16 years and 117 days. Just one month later, the forward, also known as Izzy Brown, was the subject of a controversial move to Chelsea – with the transfer fee for the second youngest Premier League player ultimately decided by a tribunal.
To date, England youth international Brown has played a mere 11 Premier League minutes for Chelsea, ironically as a late substitute against his former side West Brom in 2015. Brown is currently on-loan at Championship side Huddersfield Town – having previously been loaned to Rotherham United and Vitesse Arnhem.
The youngest player to appear in the Premier League is defender Matthew Briggs. In 2007 the then Fulham defender made his debut just 65 days after his 16th birthday. However, the left back then had more than a three year wait to make his second Fulham appearance and spent the majority of his time at Craven Cottage farmed out on loan to lower divisions.
Having played a total of 13 games for Fulham, Briggs departed for Millwall in 2104, but just eight league appearances followed before a move to current club Colchester United, In almost ten years since making his professional debut, the now 25-year-old Briggs has only featured in 82 league matches to date.
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