We take a look at one young player from each Premier League club who can make an impact this summer:
Arsenal
Bukayo Saka, 17, winger
Announced himself in style with a well-taken finish in the friendly win over Colorado Rapids last week and has been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe, who have all been officially promoted to the first-team squad. Saka does not turn 18 until September but made his senior debut against Vorskla in the Europa League last season after starring for Freddie Ljungberg’s under-23s. He has also been utilized as a full-back in the past, although his future looks likely to be further up the pitch.
Aston Villa
Jack Clarke, 20, midfielder
His namesake may have earned a £10m move to Tottenham this summer but the boyhood Villa fan has been given a chance to impress by Dean Smith. Was scouted playing left-back by Jim Thomas, who also spotted Jack Grealish, as an under-nine. Has risen through the ranks with Callum O’Hare, Andre Green and “best friend” Jake Doyle-Hayes.
Bournemouth
Mark Travers, 20, goalkeeper
Outstanding on debut against Tottenham in May, 18 months on from a successful loan spell at Weymouth. The Republic of Ireland international has caught the eye of Mick McCarthy and is extremely highly regarded by Eddie Howe. Travers finished last season in between the sticks and could yet start this campaign as the first‑choice goalkeeper. Progress set to be rewarded with a long-term contract.
Brighton
Aaron Connolly, 19, striker
Prolific at youth level, the Galway‑born forward is determined to make a first-team breakthrough under Graham Potter. Connolly, who joined Brighton as a scholar three years ago – shortly after a trial at Manchester United – was quickly fast-tracked into the under-23 side, for whom he scored 17 goals in 20 appearances last season. He finished last term on loan at Luton, making two appearances.
Burnley
Josh Benson, 19, midfielder
Has yet to make a first-team appearance for Burnley but the midfielder has featured in the club’s pre-season preparation in Portugal and could soon find himself named in matchday squads. While Sean Dyche will not be rushed, Benson is the same age as Dwight McNeil, who made his breakthrough last season and is now being linked with Juventus.
Chelsea
Mason Mount, 20, midfielder
Signed a new five-year contract worth around £75,000 a week on Monday with Frank Lampard, under whom he excelled on loan at Derby last season, having decided he will play a role in the first-team in the campaign ahead. Mount managed 11 goals in 44 appearances at Derby with his performances in the second tier earning him a call-up into Gareth Southgate’s senior England squad. If Lampard opts to play a 4-2-3-1, there would be scope for his inclusion in the trio behind the forward, harnessing his natural goalscoring ability and clever movement.
Crystal Palace
Tyrick Mitchell, 19, defender
The young left-back is one of seven academy and development squad players in the senior party competing at the Uhrencup in Switzerland. The 19-year-old, secured from Brentford towards the end of the 2015-16 campaign, has spent the last few seasons impressing in the under-18s and under-23s, signing a contract extension in January, and will aspire to emulate the achievements of Aaron Wan‑Bissaka by breaking into the first team at Selhurst Park. Mitchell can put pressure on Patrick van Aanholt, the first-choice left‑back at the club, and caught the eye in the draw with Luzern with one particularly finely timed challenge which had his teammate Andros Townsend cooing on Twitter. “Now where have I seen that tackle before?” he wondered on the social media platform, with the similarities to Wan-Bissaka all too obvious.
Everton
Joe Williams, 22, midfielder
The Liverpool-born midfielder has already made a mark on pre-season with a goal in Everton’s opening friendly against Kariobangi Sharks in Nairobi. He must continue to impress Marco Silva to finally breakthrough at the club he joined aged seven. Williams has spent the past two seasons on loan at Bolton and Barnsley and, having entered the final year of his contract, is attracting offers from the Bundesliga and Championship.
Leicester
Khanya Leshabela, 19, midfielder
Leshabela, who has been at Leicester since 2013, has been training with Brendan Rodgers’ first-team squad after spending the early part of the summer at the Under-20 World Cup with South Africa. Rodgers evidently sees the same high potential that persuaded Claude Puel to include the teenager in a Carabao Cup squad last December before the club awarded him a new contract in January. Strong and tricky on the ball and blessed with rapid pace and acceleration, he is savvy enough to play both centrally and out wide. He caught the eye on the wing against Scunthorpe in Leicester’s first pre‑season outing.
Liverpool
Bobby Duncan, 18, striker
With Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino only just beginning their holidays after international duty and Xherdan Shaqiri injured, Duncan will get his chance to impress on the upcoming US tour, alongside the highly-rated 19-year-old, Rhian Brewster. Duncan formed a prolific strike partnership with Paul Glatzel for the under-18s last season, scoring more than 60 goals in total including the equalizer against Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup final (Duncan) and the winning penalty in the shootout (Glatzel). Duncan won’t be joined by his prolific strike partner, who picked up a knee injury in the friendly win over Tranmere.
Manchester City
Adrián Bernabé, 18, midfielder
The Spaniard has four minutes of first-team football – in last September’s 3-0 EFL Cup win at Oxford United – and is another of Pep Guardiola’s recruits from his former club Barcelona. Benarbé, who started his youth career at Espanyol before joining Barça in 2013, moved to England last summer and was also included on last season’s tour to the United States. An attacking midfielder in the mold of David Silva, he is sure to benefit from the presence of the veteran former Spain international in his final season at the club.
Manchester United
Mason Greenwood, 17, forward
The pick of the current United crop, becoming their youngest Premier League starter in last season’s final game. That ended in a dismal 2-0 defeat by Cardiff but Greenwood was the contest’s standout performer, though he will have rued spurning at least one gilded chance to score. A forward who favors his left foot, Greenwood has made four appearances, including the final three minutes of the famous 3-1 Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain in March. He scored against Leeds last week and Ole Gunnar Solskjær said: “He will score goals this season.”
Newcastle
Matty Longstaff, 19, midfielder
With his older brother Sean already turning heads away from St. James’ Park, there could well be another Longstaff making his name for his hometown club in the near future. The 19-year-old was one of four young players included in Newcastle’s squad for the tour of China along with Kelland Watts, Owen Bailey and Tom Allan, although he is expected to head out on loan next season after a breakthrough campaign for the club’s under-23s.
Norwich
Adam Idah, 18, forward
Averaged a goal every 170 minutes in under-23 football last season and scored twice for Ireland in the Toulon tournament this summer. Blessed with both height and pace, Idah is first and foremost a finisher. His form and potential mean he has been rewarded with both a new contract this summer and inclusion in Daniel Farke’s first-team squad.
Sheffield United
Regan Slater, 19, midfielder
Having made his Blades debut in December 2017, he spent last season on loan at Carlisle and is likely to spend another campaign on a temporary basis either in the Championship or League One. He did start in United’s first pre‑season game against Real Betis this month.
Southampton
Jake Vokins, 19, defender
Can see the opportunity to push himself as the back-up to Ryan Bertrand, following the club’s sale of Matt Targett to Aston Villa, and it was notable that he came on for Bertrand at half-time in a 1-1 draw against SCR Altach in Austria earlier this month. Vokins, an England youth international, has been at Southampton since the age of eight.
Tottenham
Harvey White, 17, midfielder
Has come to tick a lot of boxes, not least the one marked good attitude, and it is certainly a good sign when John McDermott, the Spurs academy manager, who has such a close relationship with Mauricio Pochettino, regularly speaks in praise of him. It will be interesting to see whether White can showcase his fine left-footed technique on the club’s tour of the east Asia.
Watford
Ben Wilmot, 19, defender/defensive midfielder
Benefited from the Pozzo family’s multitude of footballing tentacles when spending the second half of last season at Watford’s sister club Udinese, and may have another loan spell in his near future, but in the meantime last summer’s recruit from Stevenage is out to impress Javi Gracia – and help him decide if he is best deployed at center-back or defensive midfield, having been used mainly in the latter position last summer.
West Ham
Ben Johnson, 19, defender
Was thrown in at the deep end when he made his Premier League debut against Manchester City in February, but the left-back acquitted himself well against the eventual champions and will hope to push Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku next season. He impressed in West Ham’s friendly win over SCR Altach and has been included on the tour of China.
Wolves
Terry Taylor, 18, midfielder
A defensive midfield player with an excellent range of passing and who revels in the Rúben Neves role, Taylor was called up to the senior Wales squad in May as a 17-year‑old. Calm and composed on the ball, Taylor joined Wolves from Aberdeen (he was born in Scotland but qualifies for Wales through his mother) and had already been in and around the first-team squad before he was included in the party that traveled to China to take part in the Asia Trophy this month. Although he only turned 18 in June, it would be no surprise if Taylor goes out on loan next season to gain first-team experience – last term Wolves considered loaning him to Jumilla, the Chinese-owned club in Spain where they have close ties.
The Guardian Sport
