Football
The Youngest Player in the Premier League
More professional footballers are making their first-team debuts as teenagers than ever before. Who is the youngest football player in the Premier League? Find out here!
Image Credits: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The English Premier League (EPL) has many up-and-coming stars. The youth academies are full of talent, but only a few players make the grade at senior level. Kobbie Mainoo is the most high-profile teenager in the English top flight. He has had a whirlwind rise at Manchester United, making his debut in the 2022/23 season against Leicester City, aged 17 years and 10 months.
He has cemented his place in the United starting XI, which saw him selected for England. Mainoo’s meteoric rise culminated in Gareth Southgate picking him for UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany. Harvey Elliot was the previous teenage prodigy in the league. He debuted for Fulham against Wolverhampton Wanderers, aged 16 years and 30 days, in 2019. Mainoo, however, is not one of the top ten youngest footballers in English Premier League history.
When Elliot made his league debut, he became the youngest football player in Premier League history, beating Matthew Briggs’ then record. Briggs debuted for Fulham in 2007, 38 days older than Elliot. However, the Liverpool playmaker is no longer the youngest-ever player to debut in the EPL. SportsBoom has compiled a list of the youngest football players in the Premier League.
List of 10 Youngest Footballers in Premier League History
| Rank | Player | Club | Debut Age |
| 1 | Ethan Nwaneri | Arsenal | 15 years, 181 days old |
| 2 | Harvey Elliott | Fulham | 16 years, 30 days old |
| 3 | Matthew Briggs | Fulham | 16 years, 68 days old |
| 4 | Izzy Brown | West Bromwich Albion | 16 years, 117 days old |
| 5 | Aaron Lennon | Leeds United | 16 years, 129 days old |
| 6 | Jose Baxter | Everton | 16 years, 191 days old |
| 7 | Rushian Hepburn-Murphy | Aston Villa | 16 years, 176 days old |
| 8 | Gary McSheffrey | Coventry City | 16 years, 198 days old |
| 9 | Reece Oxford | West Ham | 16 years, 236 days old |
| 10 | Jack Robinson | Liverpool | 16 years, 250 days old |
Data Accurate as of 20/07/2024
Who is the Youngest Footballer Player in the Premier League 2024?
Ethan Nwaneri is the youngest player in the Premier League in 2024. He debuted for Arsenal, coming off the bench, against Brentford in September 2022, aged 15 years and 181 days. Nwaneri broke the all-time English top-flight record, held since August 1964 by former Sunderland goalkeeper Derek Forster, by three days. He is the only footballer to ever play in the Premier League at fifteen.
The Arsenal midfielder is the youngest football player in England’s top division. Nwaneri has now played in matches in two EPL campaigns and will get more game-time under Mikel Arteta in the 2024/25 season. Ryan Oné, Lewis Miley, Ben Doak, and Josh Acheampong all made their debuts as seventeen-year-olds. Jayden Danns, Joe Johnson, Leon Chiwome, and Deivid Washington all made their debuts after turning eighteen.
Oné is the second-youngest footballer in last season’s Premier League campaign. He only made one appearance for Sheffield United and will not feature in the top flight next season after Sheffield’s relegation to the EFL Championship. Johnson only played twice for Luton Town.
List of 10 Youngest Footballers in Premier League in 2023/24
| Rank | Player | Club | Debut Age |
| 1 | Ethan Nwaneri | Arsenal | 15 years, five months & 28 days |
| 2 | Ryan Oné | Sheffield United | 17 years, four months & two days |
| 3 | Lewis Miley | Newcastle United | 17 years, six months & 11 days |
| 4 | Ben Doak | Liverpool | 17 years, nine months & two days |
| 5 | Josh Acheampong | Chelsea | 17 years, eleven months & 27 days |
| 6 | Jayden Danns | Liverpool | 18 years, one month & five days |
| 7 | Joe Johnson | Luton Town | 18 years, one month & 23 days |
| 8 | Leon Chiwome | Wolves | 18 years, two months & 20 days |
| 9 | Ethan Wheatley | Manchester United | 18 years, three months & four days |
| 10 | Deivid Washington | Chelsea | 18 years, four months & 23 days |
Data Accurate as of 20/07/2024
Doak, Danns, and Miley impressed the most out of last season’s young crop. Danns won his first senior medal when Liverpool beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup at Wembley Stadium in February 2024. Doak missed most of the 2023/24 season with a knee injury, but he is the youngest Scottish footballer to play in the EPL.
Miley debuted for Newcastle versus Manchester City in the EFL Cup in September 202 3. He became the youngest Newcastle United player to make a Premier League assist. Miley set up Alexander Isak’s opening goal in a 4-1 over Chelsea at St. James’ Park. He became the youngest Newcastle player to feature in European competition when he came on as a substitute against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League in November 2023.
Like Oné, Chiwome and Acheampong made their debuts but only played once for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea, respectively. Chiwome debuted for Wolves against Aston Villa, and Acheampong came on against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-0 win. Wheatley and Washington, however, got more playing time. Wheatley played three times for Manchester United and Washington twice for Chelsea.
Image Credits: Football.ua
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Kaylan Geekie is a sports fanatic. He attended Durban High School before moving to Scotland, where he lived for 15 years. During his time in the United Kingdom, Kaylan graduated with a first-class BA Honours Degree in Sports Journalism at the University of the West of Scotland. Kaylan worked for nine years as the Match-Day Editor of SuperXV.com, reporting on Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, the 2015 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2017 British & Irish Lions series for the website.