The Premier League remains fiercely competitive, and that intensity can make sustained development for teenagers difficult. Still, eight players aged 21 or under when the campaign began have stood out and earned nominations for Young Player of the Season. This piece ranks them on merit, consistency and involvement.

Kobbie Mainoo (Appearances: 26, Goals: 1, Assists: 2). Mainoo has made an enormous impact for Manchester United since returning from exile under Michael Carrick. His form alongside Casemiro has been instrumental to his side’s ascent up the standings, serving as a damning indictment of Ruben Amorim’s managerial ability. Despite impressive moments, he has started just 14 matches and it is only since the turn of the year that he has earned regular minutes. Mainoo should not really be included in the conversation this year.

Lewis Hall (Appearances: 28, Goals: 1, Clean Sheets: 3). The 21-year-old left back has missed eight matches through injury and has started 22 of Newcastle United’s 36 games to date. He has been a positive amid a gloomy campaign but has struggled to offer enough consistency or end product. Three clean sheets and two goal involvements are modest returns for a nominee.

Mateus Fernandes (Appearances: 34, Goals: 3, Assists: 3). Fernandes has shone despite West Ham United’s stodgy campaign, which could yet end in relegation. The 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder has registered six goal involvements across the league season and has combined tenacity with artistry. It is increasingly obvious that Fernandes will not be donning claret and blue after an impressive campaign amid the turmoil, and Europe’s elite are lining up for him ahead of a likely big-money move.

Michael Kayode (Appearances: 35, Goals: 1, Clean Sheets: 8). Kayode’s long throws and powerful launches have become a real weapon for Brentford, but his defensive work has been equally important. The Italian right back has been integral to a strong campaign for the Bees, contributing eight clean sheets and helping the side chase a possible European berth.

Alex Scott (Appearances: 36, Goals: 3, Assists: 1). The 22-year-old midfielder has been central to Bournemouth’s remarkable season under Andoni Iraola. Scott combines a powerful engine with technical craft, shifting between intense pressing and playmaking. There have been calls for his inclusion in England’s World Cup squad after a season of recovery from several nasty injuries.

Junior Kroupi (Appearances: 31, Goals: 12, Assists: 0). The 19-year-old French striker has produced a phenomenal breakout at Bournemouth, with 12 goals and a goal-to-minutes ratio second only to Erling Haaland in the Premier League. Linked with Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester City, Kroupi can operate as a No.9 or behind Evanilson and appears on an encouraging development path.

The Premier League has named six nominees for the 2025–26 Manager of the Season award, and this season’s list highlights different definitions of managerial success. Past winners have not always taken home the title: George Burley, Alan Pardew, Harry Redknapp and Tony Pulis were recognised for achievements that went beyond silverware.

Pep Guardiola has overseen the start of a Manchester City rebuild this season. City are guaranteed to finish no lower than second and could even end the campaign with a seventh Premier League title. Yet there is a sense this season is constrained by the club’s recent standards, and that this City team might have been left behind by some of the competition they faced over the past decade. For most clubs, second place would be a major success. For Guardiola it is judged against far higher expectations.

Régis Le Bris has delivered a remarkable return to the top flight for Sunderland. In the club’s first season as a Premier League side in eight years they were never remotely in danger of relegation. Defensive organisation has been central to that progress, with Sunderland losing only one game more than Liverpool. They only need to match Newcastle United’s results over the next two games to finish above their fiercest rivals, and a top-half finish, which the club has not achieved since 2010–11, remains within reach.

Mikel Arteta is on the verge of ending Arsenal’s longest wait between league championships since the club clinched its first in 1931. If the Gunners hold on, it breaks a long period of underachievement. Aesthetically the season has not always been convincing and there is an element of sourness to how it has unfolded. If Arsenal win both remaining fixtures, it would register as the fourth-lowest points tally for a Premier League champion in the 22 years since the club’s previous title.

Brentford faced major departures in the summer after losing Thomas Frank and leading scorers Bryan Mbeumo and Yoana Wissa, who racked up 39 Premier League goals between them last season. Keith Andrews, in his first season as manager and a former assistant coach, has guided the Bees to their highest ever league placing and left European qualification a realistic possibility.

This season’s Player of the Season shortlist presents no obvious front-runner. Arsenal’s collective balance has produced results without a single unmistakable soloist, while Manchester City’s usual talisman has produced a campaign that reads as a relative dip by his own extraordinary standards.

Erling Haaland (Appearances: 34; Goals: 26; Assists: 8) remains a top scorer yet has not matched his personal peak. The 26-goal haul is impressive but is his third-highest Premier League return across four campaigns. Haaland has been candid about expectations: “People are more shocked when I don’t score than when I score.” His run between Christmas Day and mid-April featured just one non-Premier League goal in a 13-game spell.

David Raya (Appearances: 36; Wins: 24; Clean Sheets: 18) complicates the criteria. His high-profile saves in Europe and the observation that his absence from the Carabao Cup final contributed to Arsenal’s limp defeat at Wembley are part of the season narrative. Opta’s shot-quality analysis suggests an average goalkeeper would have conceded about 24 goals; Raya conceded 26. His ball-playing strengths are notable, but his domestic shot-stopping record has not been exceptional.

Morgan Gibbs-White (Appearances: 35; Goals: 13; Assists: 4) began the season shadowed by transfer speculation and an ill fit under Ange Postecoglou. Under Sean Dyche and later Vítor Pereira he has produced strong form. Since the turn of the year he has scored nine non-penalty goals and has driven Nottingham Forest to the seventh-best run in the division, though his full-season record reflects the early disruption.

Igor Thiago (Appearances: 36; Goals: 22; Assists: 1) has delivered a breakthrough campaign for Brentford after injury setbacks last term. The 24-year-old has been prolific, and with two weeks remaining he has been outscored across Europe’s top five leagues only by Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

Gabriel (Appearances: 30; Goals: 3; Clean Sheets: 16) embodies Arsenal’s defensive strength and set-piece threat. His aerial presence is a constant in both boxes. He is the more obvious force in the centre-back pairing, though William Saliba, who was not nominated, has drawn praise.

Antoine Semenyo (Appearances: 35; Goals: 16; Assists: 4) excelled at Bournemouth, contributing to or creating 38% of their Premier League goals in the season’s first half. His mid-season move to Manchester City has seen him become part of their attacking quartet in 2026 and a joint-top scorer for the club in the league since his arrival. Bournemouth have been unbeaten in 15 matches without him.

All nominees present credible cases; the decision will rest on how voters weight sustained season-long contribution against recent form and moments of influence.