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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Mateus Fernandes (Appearances: 34, Goals: 3, Assists: 3). Fernandes has shone despite West Ham United\u2019s 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\u2019s elite are lining up for him ahead of a likely big-money move.<\/p>\n
Michael Kayode (Appearances: 35, Goals: 1, Clean Sheets: 8). Kayode\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Alex Scott (Appearances: 36, Goals: 3, Assists: 1). The 22-year-old midfielder has been central to Bournemouth\u2019s 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\u2019s World Cup squad after a season of recovery from several nasty injuries.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eight Young Player of the Season nominees ranked by impact, consistency and minutes played. Updated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13844,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[192,739,728,238,179,194,172],"tags":[1446,1162,1637],"class_list":["post-13845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal","category-bournemouth","category-brentford","category-manchester-city","category-manchester-united","category-newcastle-united","category-epl","tag-academy","tag-analytics","tag-assists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}