1) Anthony Elanga 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having burst onto the scene during Manchester United’s busy end to the 20/21 season, Elanga made a big impression on the Manchester United fanbase, scoring a delightful header on just his second Premier League start against Wolves. Following this instant impact, he went on to further impress during pre-season, scoring a brilliant left footed shot from outside the box against Derby and a phenomenal acrobatic volley against Brentford.  

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Many would have preferred him to go out on loan to gain experience this season, especially with the added competition from Sancho and Ronaldo, yet Elanga felt he was best to stay at the club for now, fighting for a place and learning from these talented players. This looked like a poor decision seeing he was only afforded a 20-minute cameo in the EFL Cup loss to West Ham, however under new manager Ralf Rangnick, he looks to be very much in the long terms, being given a first appearance in the league this season in the new managers first game, coming on as a substitute just before Fred’s winner against Crystal Palace and being given a start along with a full 90 minutes in the Champions League game against Young Boys, where he made a big impact and was unlucky not to score. 

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With Elanga’s blistering pace partnered with Rangnick’s aggressive playing style, he could be very well suited to the new managers system and could potentially jump the likes of Anthony Martial in the pecking order. This was shown in the game against Young Boys, as his pace repeatedly caused issues for the Swiss defense, in and out of possession. Even though the Swede’s finishing wasn’t very impressive during this match, he will clearly have impressed the manager with his work rate, something Rangnick clearly values. 

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With 5 goals and 3 assists in 10 games for the youth team this season, with 2 of those coming in the UEFA Youth League, he is clearly a dangerous winger who is too good for that level. To make this transition from youth football to professional football you need a good attitude, this he clearly has, with even Bruno Fernandes describing him as someone who “works hard.” He is clearly making an impression on those around him and if he keeps going at this rate the whole league will be afraid to face him, with defenders trying to figure out how to handle his pace. 

 

2) Cole Palmer 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cole Palmer is a young attacking midfielder who has made a significant impact for Manchester City this season, having made his breakthrough to the first team. The Manchester side are the hardest football team to break into, with an elite talent like Foden having to take 5 years to establish himself as an important player. Therefore, people will have to be patient with Palmer, and for now just enjoy the small snippets of talent he can show for the club.

 

Palmer started to slowly ease into professional football last season, where Guardiola afforded him a full 90 minutes in the EFL Cup against Burnley for his debut, where he put in a good display in a dominant 3:0 victory, almost scoring early on. He only picked up another 8 minutes of football that season in the Champions League, but this is to be expected with Guardiola’s methods. 

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This season, however, Palmer has shone being afforded more minutes, starting the season with a solid performance starting in the Community Shield. This start showed how Pep rates and can clearly see his supreme talent. He was then given his first Premier League minutes in a victory over Norwich, but his real breakthrough moment came in the EFL Cup against Wycombe, where he came on as a late substitute and ran the ball from the halfway line to score a curled effort from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner. 

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Since then, he has scored a Champion's League goal against Club Brugge and shone in his first Premier League start against Burnley, being arguably the best player on the pitch. Being the best performing player for the best team in the world is quite an achievement for a 19-year-old, and he’s sure to achieve much more. 

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Having made the transition to being a regular in the matchday squad this season, Palmer has rarely featured for the u23s this season, and when he has, he’s shown he’s clearly outgrown them at this point. In his 5 Premier League 2 appearances, he’s picked himself up 4 goals and 3 assists, and in his singular appearance for the u23s in the EFL trophy against Scunthorpe, he scored an absolute screamer from outside the box and added an assist. 

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This boy is special. 

 

3) Tyler Morton 

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Tyler Morton is looking to be joining the extensive list of Liverpool academy graduates to make a significant impact for the first team. Playing as a holding midfielder in his short time with the first team, the young midfielder has clearly impressed the German manager in his limited minutes during their midfield crisis. 

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Having made his name within the Liverpool academy in a more advanced midfield role, the fact that he’s managed to break in to the first team in a deeper role is very telling of his character and maturity for his age. Playing in a deeper role in the midfield requires a greater knowledge of the game, a need for a better understanding of your teammates and especially in a team like Liverpool a need got be readily available to recycle and move the ball. For him to shine at this age in this role shows a real understanding of the game which will undoubtedly take him straight to the top.

 

Making his first appearance for the club against Norwich in the EFL Cup, Morton made a clear impression on Klopp as he was kept involved for future cup games, including a start in their EFL Cup tie against Preston, where he played a full 90 minutes as a holding midfielder.  

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Klopp saw enough from him in these performances to afford him a huge opportunity with a start in two consecutive Champions League games, the first being in a 2:0 win against Porto, and the second in a dominant performance in a 2:1 win against AC Milan. In the latter game, Morton faced off against a very talented Milan midfield consisting of Kessie and Tonali, two top midfielders you would expect to run riot against a 19 year old make shift holding midfielder. The fact Morton managed to come out from this in a positive light, facing the challenge and taking on this experienced midfield in a confident and composed manner. 

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If Morton can keep adapting and improving in this role, he will for sure be a go to man for Klopp in the future. 

 

4) Jesurun Rak-Sakyi 

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The young 19 year old winger for Crystal Palace has impressed on many occasions for the u23s this season, although many don’t understand why he isn’t getting any first team opportunities.  

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Many Palace fans were rightfully excited when seeing his name in the match day squad for the opening Premier League match against Chelsea, and this excitement would have been increased when he was brought on for his Premier League debut in the 76th minute. This felt like it could be the opening for him to slowly break through, to pick up regular minutes whilst Eze slowly returns from his injury and Olise beds in. 

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This has however not happened, and he’s instead struggled to get near the squad since the 3rd game week. As a 19 year old winger, it is particularly important to slowly bed into the team, with consistent game time, no matter how small each game is. After that first taste of first team football, he must have expected more than just another season of youth football. 

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Although he may have been expecting more first team football, he has not let this stop him from dominating in the Premier League 2. In his 13 appearances in the competition so far this season, he’s picked up 10 goals and 3 assists which is evidence that the wonderkid is clearly a step above this level. 

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The ability he has with the ball in his feet is rare for a player of this age, and would usually warrant more hype around the player, and more minutes in the first team. As arguably the most dangerous dribbler in his division, he’s now managed to produce goals at every level of youth football with little to no settling in time, seeing that this is first year of u23 football, having picked up 8 goals and 8 assists in 16 games in 20/21 for the u18s. 

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With many young wingers, for example Greenwood, Saka, and Hudson Odoi, managing to pick up lots of minutes with much better teams with more competition in front of them, Rak-Sakyi must be confused on why he cannot get near the bench let alone the pitch. It looks like it might be time for the youngster to look for a loan move instead, and with many Championship teams, for example Birmingham who have lost Tahith Chong to injury, in need of a dangerous winger who can consistently take a game by the scruff of the neck and drag his team through, Rak-Sakyi is the best loan option available and could transform his career as he will have a stage to prove his talent. 

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Mackenzie Anderson