'You canÂ’t win anything with kids', Alan Hansen remarked after a youthful Manchester United side
were beaten 3-1 by Aston Villa on the opening day of the 1995/96 season
The former BBC pundit
was proved wrong as the Red Devils went on to win the league title and FA cup despite their squad
having an average age of just 26 years
Since that time, only Chelsea have lifted the title with a
younger squad on average in 2005
Clubs have placed more faith in their youngsters in recent seasons following breakthrough success
stories such as Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling
Teams without the financial power to spend big
during transfer windows will rely on their academy and hope to unearth the next break-through
superstar
We take a look at the top ten teenagers based on current ability in the Premier LeagueÂ…
Marcus Rashford Manchester United
Few people would have recognised the name of Marcus Rashford when he made his senior debut for
Manchester United against Midtjylland in the Europa League
The 18-year-old was a late addition to
the squad following an injury to Anthony Martial but delighted United fans with two second half
goals; making him UnitedÂ’s youngest ever goal scorer in Europe
Rashford quickly dispelled fears that he could be a one-hit wonder as he started his first Premier
League game just three days later against Arsenal
He was named the man of the match as he netted
another brace and assisted another in the 3-2 victory which derailed the GunnersÂ’ title bid
There have been calls for Roy Hodgson to include the youngster in his Euro 2016 squad which has
been dismissed by academy director Nicky Butt who believes it would be harmful to his
development
Manchester United fans have seen players such as Federico Macheda make an instant
impact on their debut but never make the grade when the going got tough
The Red Devils must
make sure they donÂ’t make the same mistake with Rashford
Brendan Galloway Everton
Everton signed Brendan Galloway from MK Dons for an undisclosed fee in 2014 with the defender
signing a five-year contract with the Toffees
With an injury to first choice left back Leighton Baines,
Bryan Oviedo still side-lined and Luke Garbett joining Fulham on loan, Brendan Galloway was
handed the left-back role for the Blues this season.
Galloway impressed with some assured performances at the back
Although he is naturally a centre-
back, Galloway displayed an impressive work-rate and desire to help the side both offensively and
defensively
The 19-year-old was rewarded with a new five-year contract in December following his
league performances.
With Oviedo and Baines returning to fitness, Galloway has lost his place in the side
The defender
admitted that although he is willing to play any position on the pitch, he sees his long-term future in
the centre of defence
If he can continue to replicate his early season form, Everton could have a
long-term centre-back partner for England team-mate John Stones
Kelechi Iheanacho Manchester City
Few players have graduated from Manchester CityÂ’s youth academy with Nigerian striker, Kelechi
Iheanacho the only youngster to make a break-through for the Citizens
City have restructured their
academy but do not expect to produce regular first teamers for at least another three years.
Iheanacho has been a breath of fresh air for Manchester City fans who have grown frustrated with
the troubles of £30m signing Wilfried Bony who has failed to adapt to life at City following his big-
money move from Swansea
19-year-old Iheanacho has quickly established himself as one of CityÂ’s
most promising players, scoring nine goals this season
The arrival of Pep Guardiola to the Etihad will only aid the teenagerÂ’s development
Guardiola has
nurtured talents through the youth systems at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich
His development
of Thiago Alcantara saw the Spanish midfielder follow his manager to Germany
Kingsley Coman is
the latest name to be developed under GuardiolaÂ’s watch after failing to impress at both Juventus
and PSG; he has been one of the BundesligaÂ’s stand-out performers
Iheanacho can only be
encouraged by GuardiolaÂ’s arrival who could transform him into one of the leagueÂ’s deadliest
strikers
Joe Gomez Liverpool
Former Charlton defender Joe Gomez was not viewed as a first-team regular when he arrived for
£3m in the summer
However, following the irregular form of Alberto Moreno, Brendan Rodgers
thrust the youngster into action in an unfamiliar left back role
Gomez performed admirably and
kept his place for crucial games against the likes of Arsenal
The 18-year-oldÂ’s explosive start to life at Anfield took a turn for the worst in October when the
youngster began to take strides in his development
An anterior cruciate ligament injury whilst
representing England effectively ended his season
Rodgers was soon replaced with Jurgen Klopp
who was quick to assure the defender that he remained a vital part of his long-term plans and to
‘count the days’ until his return to fitness.
Spanish newspaper Marca named Gomez in the best under-18 XI in European football and Gomez
will only get better
He has admitted that like Galloway, he sees his future in the heart of defence
“At the moment I just have to learn and be grateful to play where I can and use it as a stepping-
stone to be the best centre-back I can be,” said Gomez
Liverpool fans should be excited at the
prospect of a world-class centre-back who is extremely level-headed and displays the highest level of
professionalism
Kenedy Chelsea
One of the few positives in a dismal campaign for Chelsea has been the emergence of Brazilian star
Kenedy
Chelsea completed the £6.3m transfer from Fluminense in August 2015 following a brief
trial with the club
Remarkably, the striker featured in Jose MourinhoÂ’s plans and was not shipped
out on loan to Vitesse Arnhem; which has become ChelseaÂ’s development club with a large number
of players moving to Holland to gain first team experience.
He scored his first goal for the club against Walsall in September in the League Cup and also grabbed
an assist
Kenedy has been used as make-shift left back this season and was described by Mourinho
as a “beautiful young egg”.
Under Gus Hiddink, the Brazilian has been given the chance to kick on and stake his claim for a
starting berth at Stamford Bridge alongside the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Bertrand Traore
Kenedy scored his first Premier League goal against Norwich after just 39 seconds which is the
fastest goal of the season so far
Main striker Diego Costa is facing further disciplinary action
following his dismissal against Everton meaning Kenedy will have to step up to the plate as Chelsea
look for a strong finish to the season
Reece Oxford West Ham
West Ham starlet Reece Oxford started his first professional league game back in August against
Arsenal at the Emirates
Tasked with the job of keeping Mesut Ozil quiet, few would have expected
Oxford to play as well as he did
The 1- year-old kept the German playmaker nestled in his pocket for
the entire game with the Hammers picking up a 2-0 win
Oxford has not started a game since being substituted at half-time against Leicester in the same
month but he remains one of the clubÂ’s brightest prospects
The youngster has just one year left on
his contract and has been linked with a move to Manchester City.
The England under 21 international can play in midfield or defence and has been compared to Rio
Ferdinand who also came through West HamÂ’s prestigious academy
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic
was quick to keep a lid on the hype surrounding his young gem after the performance against
Arsenal
"He's definitely going to be a big player
He's only 16 so he's going to have ups and downs,
but for now, we have to manage him not only on the pitch but off it too so he stays grounded and
can progress
The boy has everything, everything." If the Hammers can secure Oxford to a new
contract, they will have secured one of EuropeÂ’s biggest talents and are able to offer him the
Olympic Stadium as the perfect location to showcase his skills
Josh Onomah Tottenham
English midfielder Josh Onomah is another young prospect currently loving life under Tottenham
boss Mauricio Pochettino
The Argentine has received plaudits for giving youth at a chance at White
Hart Lane and his youngsters have fully repaid their managerÂ’s faith
Onomah was given his first start against Monaco in the Europa League after being introduced to the
first team during the final months of last season
The attacking midfielderÂ’s quality is evident and the
18-year-old showcased his finishing ability with a wonderful goal for England U19 against Japan
which can be found here
Although Onomah may not have progressed as quickly as some of TottenhamÂ’s other hot prospects
such as Tom Carroll, Eric Dier and Ryan Mason but under PochettinoÂ’s tutelage, he will develop into
a quality attacking midfielder
Spurs have been quick to secure the youngsterÂ’s future as Onomah
put pen to paper on a new four-year-deal in February
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson Manchester United
Teen defender Cameron Borthwick-Jackson joined the long list of youngsters to appear for
Manchester United this season under Louis van Gaal
The Dutch manager has been forced to turn to
youth due to injuries to many first teamers this season
The devastating injury that cruelly ended
Luke ShawÂ’s season gave Borthwick-Jackson his chance to impress.
The 19-year-old seized his chance and has proved a useful deputy to Shaw, somewhat justifying the
clubÂ’s decision to not sign another left-back in the January transfer window
Able to play as a central
defender or on the left, Borthwick-Jackson is described as a ball-playing defender; a trait that is
becoming more important for defenders in modern day football
Borthwick-Jackson performed admirably when asked to step up to the plate this season being
thrown into games against the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool
Like any young player, mistakes were
made against the likes of Diego Costa but the youngster remained cool, calm and collected in
extremely difficult circumstances
His performances are likely to be rewarded with a new contract
and his development has been one of the few shining lights in another poor season for the Red
Devils.
Patrick Roberts Manchester City
The signing of Fulham youngster Patrick Roberts very much went under the radar in the summer as
Manchester City strengthened their squad heavily
The fee understood to be around £12m may have
seemed high to some fans as Roberts failed to score during his 22 appearances for the Cottagers
However, stats do not show the potential that the young winger possesses
His path to first-team
football at the Etihad was blocked by new signings Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne who cost
over £100m collectively
In order to aid his development, the 18-year-old was loaned to Scottish side Celtic to gain consistent
first-team football over the next 18 months
Roberts says that he styles his game on BarcelonaÂ’s
Lionel Messi and calls the Argentine maestro his idol
“You try to copy what he does and it also
comes naturally to me as well
Because IÂ’m left footed I tend to move the same way as he does
My
view is that you watch the best to learn from the best.”
Roberts is extremely determined to achieve his dreams and has been described by Sir Trevor
Brooking as the player to help England win Euro 2020
The former director of football development
at the FA has also criticised City for not giving Roberts a chance to impress for the Citizens this
season
If Roberts can impress during his spell with The Hoops, he could become an important player
whether it be for Manchester City or another member of EuropeÂ’s elite
Dele Alli Tottenham
Rumours suggested that former MK Dons midfielder Dele Alli would leave Tottenham on loan again
in the summer
The midfielder refuted these reports and vowed to win his place in the side
Since
then, the England international has been instrumental in TottenhamÂ’s title bid and is now one of the
favourites for the Player of the Season award.
Pochettino’s £5m signing is currently the most experienced player born in 1996 or later in Europe’s
top five leagues
The CIES Football Observatory compiled a list of player who had made the most
league appearances with AlliÂ’s 102 games for both MK Dons and Spurs topping the list
There have
been few starts to Premier League life more impressive than AlliÂ’s; registering seven goals and eight
assists from midfield
His performances have made him favourite for both the PFA Player and Young Player of the Season
He is also set to play a vital role in EnglandÂ’s Euro 2016 campaign after he netted on his debut for
the national team
Alli also remains a contender for goal of the season for his magnificent strike
against Crystal Palace which can be found here
Reports have linked both Real Madrid and Barcelona
with the teenage sensation who has the potential to be one of the best midfielders in the world
Follow me on Twitter @MarcusBanks7
Visit my blog @ www.marcusbanks7.com
Source : DSG
Source: DSG