Sports Mole counts down the 10 youngest players in Premier League historic previous.
Practically three years after making his Premier League debut, Ethan Nwaneri signed a recent long-time duration contract with boyhood membership Arsenal, whose manager Mikel Arteta gave him his first taste of Premier League football at proper 15 years and 181 days old-customary.
The 2007-born sensation benefitted from Martin Odegaard‘s absence against Brentford in September 2022, where as Arsenal were cruising to a 3-0 victory, Arteta saw fit to introduce the teen into the fray.
The Spaniard defined that he had a “gut feeling” about Nwaneri, and if the 2024-25 season – where the England formative years global scored nine desires in all competitions – is anything to transfer by, his gut feeling has been proven appropriate.
Nevertheless, there is now a recent 15-yr-old-customary kid making waves on the Arsenal block, as Max Dowman toyed with opponents twice his age in pre-season and must nearly no doubt develop his first top-flight minutes earlier than turning 16.
Further north, Liverpool sensation Rio Ngumoha has taken Anfield by storm in the summer season months too, however the 2008-born prospect will no longer moderately manufacture it into the list beneath.
Right here, Sports Mole counts down the 10 youngest players in Premier League historic previous ahead of the 2025-26 season starting up.
10. Jack Robinson – 16 years, eight months, seven days
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Beating Jack Wilshere by a mere 5 days, ragged Liverpool teen Jack Robinson became as soon as additionally proper 16 years of age when he made his Premier League bow for the Reds against Hull Metropolis in Might per chance per chance per chance 2010.
With nothing left to play for on the closing day of the season, Rafael Benitez became as soon as no longer averse to fielding a 2d-string side for that 0-0 contrivance, as Robinson replaced Ryan Babel in the 87th minute.
The centre-attend would manufacture 10 extra appearances for Liverpool earlier than leaving in 2014, and he can now be discovered marshalling the backline at Sheffield United, whom he became as soon as unable to set from Premier League relegation in 2023-24.
9. Reece Oxford – 16 years, seven months, 24 days
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Starting for the visiting team at the Emirates Stadium and running out 2-0 winners would possibly per chance per chance per chance be a large fulfillment for many players, to no longer speak a 16-yr-old-customary Reece Oxford.
The defender became as soon as fielded from the first whistle by Slaven Bilic on the opening day of the 2015-16 season, where desires from Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate saw West Ham United clinch a memorable London derby success over Arsenal.
Oxford played seventy nine minutes of that victory at the Emirates, and following a pair of loans to the Bundesliga, he discovered his contemporary home in Augsburg however has been tormented by health complications of silly.
8. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 16 years, six months, 14 days
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Another player to near out on the appropriate form discontinuance of the scoreline at some level of his Premier League debut became as soon as Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, who became as soon as proper 16 when he made a seven-minute cameo in Aston Villa‘s 4-0 fetch at Sunderland in March 2015.
Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor had both ratings braces in the first half of earlier than Tim Sherwood became to Hepburn-Murphy, who remains the Lions’ youngest-ever player in the Premier League.
The striker would beneath no conditions hit the heights of Benteke or Agbonlahor at Villa Park and left for Cypriot side Pafos FC in 2020, however he returned to England two years later to hitch Swindon Metropolis earlier than leaping ship for Crawley Metropolis in 2024.
7. Jose Baxter – 16 years, six months, nine days
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The first player on this list to suffer defeat on his Premier League debut, Jose Baxter tried and failed to encourage Everton over the line in a 3-2 loss to Blackburn on the first day of the 2008-09 season.
A fresh-faced 16-yr-old-customary, attacking midfielder Baxter came on for the closing 11 minutes at Goodison Park with the fetch at 2-2, however David Moyes‘s resolution backfired as Blackburn scored a 93rd-minute winner thru Andre Ooijer.
After being released by Everton in 2012 – though he hasty represented the Below-21s in 2017-18 – Baxter plied his alternate for Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic and Memphis earlier than striking up his boots in 2021.
6. Aaron Lennon – 16 years, four months, seven days
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Such became as soon as Aaron Lennon’s longevity that the England winger became as soon as around attend in the Glenn Hoddle skills of Tottenham Hotspur, making his Premier League debut all the contrivance attend in 2003 against the Lilywhites for Leeds United.
Lennon became as soon as a 77th-minute exchange for Designate Viduka in that 2-1 defeat earlier than incomes a transfer to Tottenham in the summer season of 2005, eventually totalling 30 desires and seventy nine assists in 364 games for the North London membership.
The winger enjoyed extra Premier League minutes with Burnley and Everton at some level of the latter stages of his career earlier than retiring in 2022, having additionally obtained 21 caps for England and been a part of two World Cup squads.
5. Izzy Brown – 16 years, three months, 27 days
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Sharing striking similarities with Baxter’s debut, ragged West Bromwich Albion teen Izzy Brown became as soon as additionally a mere 16 years of age when he made his top-flight bow in a 3-2 loss to Wigan Athletic in 2013.
The striker became as soon as a silly exchange for Youssouf Molumbu however would possibly per chance per chance no longer have an effect on the sport in the demise embers, though his upward push became as soon as ample to develop him a transfer to Chelsea later that yr.
As has been the case with a plethora of Blues formative years, Brown made proper the one appearance for Chelsea and became as soon as loaned out limitless times earlier than joining Preston North Pause on a free transfer. His Deepdale career became as soon as short-lived, though, and he retired at proper 26 because of frequent damage complications.
4. Matthew Briggs – 16 years, two months, seven days
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Final-day Premier League showdowns at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium will seemingly be excellent remembered for the 8-1 thrashing inflicted upon Manchester Metropolis in 2008, however historic previous became as soon as written one yr beforehand.
Fulham additionally went all the scheme down to Boro on the closing day in 2006-07 – losing 3-1 – however 16-yr-old-customary Matthew Briggs became the Premier League’s youngest-ever player after coming on for Moritz Volz in the 77th minute.
Briggs – who held the narrative for 12 years – would sit his GCSE Tests proper 24 hours later, however the Guyana global beneath no conditions made it large and retired in 2023 after hopping from lower-league membership to lower-league membership.
3. Harvey Elliott – 16 years, 30 days
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Another Cottagers starlet to retain the illustrious honour of being the Premier League’s youngest-ever player, Harvey Elliott broke Briggs’s narrative when he debuted for Fulham in Might per chance per chance per chance 2019 against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Scott Parker‘s side lost 1-0 on the day as Elliott came on for the closing two minutes, and such became as soon as his skills that Liverpool hasty moved to ticket him proper about a months later.
Composed in the embryonic stages of his career, Elliott established himself as a key member of Jurgen Klopp‘s first team squad, however he has discovered alternatives challenging to near by beneath Arne Slot and must now gallop away in the summer season transfer window.
2. Jeremy Monga – 15 years, eight months, 28 days
Leicester Metropolis’s 2024-25 Premier League season made headlines for all the negative causes, however proficient teen Jeremy Monga became as soon as in the spotlight for the appropriate causes in a condominium fixture against Newcastle United in April 2025.
With the sport already long long previous as a contest because of this of of the Magpies’ 3-0 lead, Ruud van Nistelrooy sent on Monga for his debut in the closing quarter-hour, as he became the 2d-youngest player to ever appear in the competition at 15 years, eight months and 28 days.
“You could see glimpses of his great qualities. He’s a great winger and has speed. He’s a fantastic talent, a great boy. He deserved these minutes and hopefully, more to come,” Van Nistelrooy said of Monga, whose doubtless at the least offers Leicester fans some hope for the future after a disastrous return to the top flight.
1. Ethan Nwaneri – 15 years, 5 months, 28 days
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A chorus of “You’ve got school in the morning” rang out around the Brentford Community Stadium when Nwaneri came on for Arsenal in September 2022.
Queen Elizabeth II’s death and the coinciding jabber funeral supposed that such chants were wrong, however that took nothing away from the teen’s historic 2d.
Rapid demonstrating his class at Below-18 level, Nwaneri became as soon as promoted to Below-21s practicing for Arsenal, whose academy manager Per Mertesacker gave Arteta sparkling reviews from his time at formative years level.
Martin Odegaard’s damage spread out an area for Nwaneri to gallop back and forth with the first-team squad for the outing to Brentford, and Arteta felt it appropriate for the Englishman to skills a taste of top-flight football together with his dominant side 3-0 to the true.
Arteta has warned optimistic fans that Nwaneri would possibly per chance per chance per chance wish to take a “step back” earlier than taking another step ahead, however there is every reason at the attend of Gooners to safe keen on this historic previous-making starlet, and it is complicated to search out his narrative being damaged anytime at the moment.
At a time when Arsenal are discovering it complicated to retain retain of some proficient academy stars – Reuell Walters, Chido Obi Martin and Amario Cozier-Duberry spring to tips – they managed to persuade Nwaneri that his future lies at the Emirates, tying him all the scheme down to a professional deal on his 17th birthday and an extension a yr later.
The midfielder additionally excelled for England at the 2024 Below-17 European Championships, so it is no shock that Manchester Metropolis and Manchester United apparently took a liking to him earlier than he put pen to paper in North London.
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