Post by Admin on Feb 5, 2014 20:08:33 GMT 5.5
The EPL’s Top Young Talent – Part 1
Widely regarded as the best domestic league in the world, the English Premier League’s high intensity and competitiveness may not be so exciting if you’re a young fullback, midfielder or centre forward desperate to break into the ranks of your top-flight first team. With the average age of a Premier League player this season being 27 years and 4 months, the chances of talented teenagers being given a run in their club’s senior side in more than the odd cup game is often very slim. Yet this year has already seen impressive debuts, improved performances and beneficial stints by a host of whippersnappers who are already producing great football, and who promise to set the league alight for years to come. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the most exciting young guns so far in the Premier League this season.
(In no particular order)
1 SERGE GNABRY
Age: 18
Club: Arsenal
Position: Right wing, attacking midfield, left wing
Nationality: German/Ivorian
International Appearances: 24 for Germany U16s-19s
1: The young German is starting to force himself into Wenger's plans.
1: The young German is starting to force himself into Wenger's plans. Credit: goonerhead.com
Since joining Arsenal from VfB Stuttgart in 2011, Gnabry has made a total of 16 senior league appearances, including 9 in the league, scoring 1 goal. Such a promising stint in the Gunners’ first team looks set to continue, with 8 of his Premiership appearances occurring this season as Gnabry takes advantage of Arsenal’s injury crisis. Following his excellent FA Cup performance against Spurs last month, both manager Arsene Wenger and Guardian journalist Amy Lawrence tip Gnabry for great success, with Wenger commenting that Gnabry has ‘...a lot in the locker[...] he has a very good football brain with good vision.’ Arsenal fan Lawrence argues alongside Wenger that Gnabry’s ‘...opportunity to force an unexpected route to Brazil has widened’, as the ‘...chance to shine more frequently...has opened up with Walcott's cruciate injury.’ Less stellar performances, such as in Arsenal’s game against Southampton (where fellow youngster Luke Shaw got the better of him) are only to be expected in one still learning his craft. Indeed, this is where Wenger’s skill in blooding young talent comes to the fore; benching Gnabry for 20 year old Oxlade-Chamberlain is hardly a case of ditching youth for experience, but young players need patience and time to adjust to the pressure of playing regular first team football for a club like Arsenal. To have any chance of sneaking a seat on the plane to Brazil with either the German or the Ivorian national sides (Gnabry’s father hails from the Ivory Coast), the midfielder must continue to seize his remaining chances this season with as much verve and gusto as before.
2 ADNAN JANUZAJ
Age: 19
Club: Manchester United
Position: Left wing, attacking midfielder, right wing.
Nationality: Belgian/Kosovar-Albanian.
2: Januzaj's performances have been a rare silver lining for the Red Devils this season.
Undoubtedly the player of United’s season so far is a nineteen year old maestro of a winger who has played over 1,000 minutes of Premier League football since August. Since his full debut for the Red Devils back in October – a game where he almost single-handedly ensured a United victory with his brace against the Black Cats – Januzaj has added one more goal and five assists in all competitions to his burgeoning tally, and already has the look of a match-winner about him, dare we whisper it, maybe even the look of Ronaldo. In an ageing, often disinterested United side, he’s been a shining star this year, and as soon as the news broke that he may be eligible to play for England come 2016 due to obscure residency rules, the British press predictably had a field day. Januzaj has been creating such a storm in the Premier League that PSG made a ‘significant offer’ for the young winger’s talents this past transfer window, despite Januzaj signing a £30,000 a week five-year contract with United last October. In many ways, pledging his future to the current Premier League Champions may be crucial; at the moment, Adnan is getting starts and making waves in a team that is under transition, but who still play Champions League football- for now; even United’s relative fall from grace may serve Januzaj well, as it allows his good performances to be highlighted by contrast, and also lessens the pressure on him somewhat. If United are aiming for fourth or even sixth, that’s a different kettle of fish to the stresses of aiming for first.
3 ROSS BARKLEY
Age: 20
Club: Everton
Position: Attacking/central/right midfield
Nationality: English
International Appearances:3 senior caps; 35 apps for England U16s-21s
3: 13/14 is turning into a season of dreams for boyhood Blue Ross Barkley
21 appearances, 533 minutes and 3 goals to the good already in the Premier League this season, Ross Barkley has been touted by most corners of the media as the answer to all of England’s midfield woes. The attacking playmaker has wowed for Everton since August, scored a peach of a free-kick to win the game against Swansea back in December, and is set to sign a new contract tying him to Goodison Park for the foreseeable future. Showing great resilience to even reach Everton’s first team ranks after breaking his leg in an England youth international three years ago, the boyhood Evertonian is living the dream at the club he loves. After putting in numerous man-of-the-match performances in the first half of the season, Barkley was unfortunate enough to break his toe playing against QPR in the FA Cup last month, and was perhaps recalled a tad too early, participating in Everton’s 4-0 humbling by Liverpool in last week’s Merseyside derby. Despite having a great chance to equalise early on, Barkley faded during the game, according to fanatix.com, and his ‘wayward’ performance against Villa the following match, as goal.com puts it, resulted in a half-time hooking. Toffees manager Roberto Martinez is confident that his young charge knows how much he must still improve, despite the hype and the comparisons to Ballack and Gascoigne, telling The Guardian ‘I've never met an elite footballer with such a strong winning mentality who is so down to earth. He is so realistic about what he has to do.’ Barkley himself told The Times back in September that the ‘...only way you learn is from mistakes and [Martinez] is allowing me to make them...’ With such a level-headed approach already, the sky really may be the limit for Ross and for Everton.
4 LUKE SHAW
Age: 18
Club: Southampton
Position: Left-back
Nationality: English
International Appearances: 17 for England U16s-U21s
4: Will Saints be able to hold on to their young prodigy at left-back?
You could pick any number of the Saints’ young guns to gush about, but left-back Shaw is the one chosen this time; the impressive fullback merits his selection, building on a fantastic debut season for Southampton last year with 21 league appearances to date in 13/14 and over 1,700 minutes of top-flight English football played. At a time of much handwringing over the opportunities afforded young English talent in the Premier League, Shaw’s rise to prominence and the success of the Southampton youth system (which also produced the likes of Bale, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain) provide leading examples of how things perhaps should be done. Southampton did well to hang on to their much-coveted defender this transfer window, with rumoured £20m-plus bids from both Chelsea and United failing to tempt the England youngster away from St. Mary’s. They may have a tougher task on their hands stopping the boyhood Chelsea fan moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer, however, particularly if Chelsea’s offer is right. For now, Saints fans and neutrals alike should admire the fantastic season the young fullback is having, exemplified by his recent performance against Arsenal. Part of Saints’ excellent start to the season, now things are getting slightly tougher Shaw will learn more about the game and the travails of Premier League life. With 2 assists to his name so far this season, if Shaw can start scoring goals a la Baines and Coleman as well, he’ll be a superstar. Southampton’s record at producing world-class left-backs who go on to achieve great things is pretty good, after all.
This article was written by Emma Whitney, Follow her on twitter here
Widely regarded as the best domestic league in the world, the English Premier League’s high intensity and competitiveness may not be so exciting if you’re a young fullback, midfielder or centre forward desperate to break into the ranks of your top-flight first team. With the average age of a Premier League player this season being 27 years and 4 months, the chances of talented teenagers being given a run in their club’s senior side in more than the odd cup game is often very slim. Yet this year has already seen impressive debuts, improved performances and beneficial stints by a host of whippersnappers who are already producing great football, and who promise to set the league alight for years to come. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the most exciting young guns so far in the Premier League this season.
(In no particular order)
1 SERGE GNABRY
Age: 18
Club: Arsenal
Position: Right wing, attacking midfield, left wing
Nationality: German/Ivorian
International Appearances: 24 for Germany U16s-19s
1: The young German is starting to force himself into Wenger's plans.
1: The young German is starting to force himself into Wenger's plans. Credit: goonerhead.com
Since joining Arsenal from VfB Stuttgart in 2011, Gnabry has made a total of 16 senior league appearances, including 9 in the league, scoring 1 goal. Such a promising stint in the Gunners’ first team looks set to continue, with 8 of his Premiership appearances occurring this season as Gnabry takes advantage of Arsenal’s injury crisis. Following his excellent FA Cup performance against Spurs last month, both manager Arsene Wenger and Guardian journalist Amy Lawrence tip Gnabry for great success, with Wenger commenting that Gnabry has ‘...a lot in the locker[...] he has a very good football brain with good vision.’ Arsenal fan Lawrence argues alongside Wenger that Gnabry’s ‘...opportunity to force an unexpected route to Brazil has widened’, as the ‘...chance to shine more frequently...has opened up with Walcott's cruciate injury.’ Less stellar performances, such as in Arsenal’s game against Southampton (where fellow youngster Luke Shaw got the better of him) are only to be expected in one still learning his craft. Indeed, this is where Wenger’s skill in blooding young talent comes to the fore; benching Gnabry for 20 year old Oxlade-Chamberlain is hardly a case of ditching youth for experience, but young players need patience and time to adjust to the pressure of playing regular first team football for a club like Arsenal. To have any chance of sneaking a seat on the plane to Brazil with either the German or the Ivorian national sides (Gnabry’s father hails from the Ivory Coast), the midfielder must continue to seize his remaining chances this season with as much verve and gusto as before.
2 ADNAN JANUZAJ
Age: 19
Club: Manchester United
Position: Left wing, attacking midfielder, right wing.
Nationality: Belgian/Kosovar-Albanian.
2: Januzaj's performances have been a rare silver lining for the Red Devils this season.
Undoubtedly the player of United’s season so far is a nineteen year old maestro of a winger who has played over 1,000 minutes of Premier League football since August. Since his full debut for the Red Devils back in October – a game where he almost single-handedly ensured a United victory with his brace against the Black Cats – Januzaj has added one more goal and five assists in all competitions to his burgeoning tally, and already has the look of a match-winner about him, dare we whisper it, maybe even the look of Ronaldo. In an ageing, often disinterested United side, he’s been a shining star this year, and as soon as the news broke that he may be eligible to play for England come 2016 due to obscure residency rules, the British press predictably had a field day. Januzaj has been creating such a storm in the Premier League that PSG made a ‘significant offer’ for the young winger’s talents this past transfer window, despite Januzaj signing a £30,000 a week five-year contract with United last October. In many ways, pledging his future to the current Premier League Champions may be crucial; at the moment, Adnan is getting starts and making waves in a team that is under transition, but who still play Champions League football- for now; even United’s relative fall from grace may serve Januzaj well, as it allows his good performances to be highlighted by contrast, and also lessens the pressure on him somewhat. If United are aiming for fourth or even sixth, that’s a different kettle of fish to the stresses of aiming for first.
3 ROSS BARKLEY
Age: 20
Club: Everton
Position: Attacking/central/right midfield
Nationality: English
International Appearances:3 senior caps; 35 apps for England U16s-21s
3: 13/14 is turning into a season of dreams for boyhood Blue Ross Barkley
21 appearances, 533 minutes and 3 goals to the good already in the Premier League this season, Ross Barkley has been touted by most corners of the media as the answer to all of England’s midfield woes. The attacking playmaker has wowed for Everton since August, scored a peach of a free-kick to win the game against Swansea back in December, and is set to sign a new contract tying him to Goodison Park for the foreseeable future. Showing great resilience to even reach Everton’s first team ranks after breaking his leg in an England youth international three years ago, the boyhood Evertonian is living the dream at the club he loves. After putting in numerous man-of-the-match performances in the first half of the season, Barkley was unfortunate enough to break his toe playing against QPR in the FA Cup last month, and was perhaps recalled a tad too early, participating in Everton’s 4-0 humbling by Liverpool in last week’s Merseyside derby. Despite having a great chance to equalise early on, Barkley faded during the game, according to fanatix.com, and his ‘wayward’ performance against Villa the following match, as goal.com puts it, resulted in a half-time hooking. Toffees manager Roberto Martinez is confident that his young charge knows how much he must still improve, despite the hype and the comparisons to Ballack and Gascoigne, telling The Guardian ‘I've never met an elite footballer with such a strong winning mentality who is so down to earth. He is so realistic about what he has to do.’ Barkley himself told The Times back in September that the ‘...only way you learn is from mistakes and [Martinez] is allowing me to make them...’ With such a level-headed approach already, the sky really may be the limit for Ross and for Everton.
4 LUKE SHAW
Age: 18
Club: Southampton
Position: Left-back
Nationality: English
International Appearances: 17 for England U16s-U21s
4: Will Saints be able to hold on to their young prodigy at left-back?
You could pick any number of the Saints’ young guns to gush about, but left-back Shaw is the one chosen this time; the impressive fullback merits his selection, building on a fantastic debut season for Southampton last year with 21 league appearances to date in 13/14 and over 1,700 minutes of top-flight English football played. At a time of much handwringing over the opportunities afforded young English talent in the Premier League, Shaw’s rise to prominence and the success of the Southampton youth system (which also produced the likes of Bale, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain) provide leading examples of how things perhaps should be done. Southampton did well to hang on to their much-coveted defender this transfer window, with rumoured £20m-plus bids from both Chelsea and United failing to tempt the England youngster away from St. Mary’s. They may have a tougher task on their hands stopping the boyhood Chelsea fan moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer, however, particularly if Chelsea’s offer is right. For now, Saints fans and neutrals alike should admire the fantastic season the young fullback is having, exemplified by his recent performance against Arsenal. Part of Saints’ excellent start to the season, now things are getting slightly tougher Shaw will learn more about the game and the travails of Premier League life. With 2 assists to his name so far this season, if Shaw can start scoring goals a la Baines and Coleman as well, he’ll be a superstar. Southampton’s record at producing world-class left-backs who go on to achieve great things is pretty good, after all.
This article was written by Emma Whitney, Follow her on twitter here