5 Premier League teens teeming with talent

Max Dowman, 16, Arsenal

The most exciting teen prospect in English football already has a clutch of records to his name – including youngest scorer and title winner in Premier League history and youngest player to appear in a Champions League knockout match. Last season, of Premier League players below the age of 18, only Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha, who is a year older at 17, played more minutes (952) in all competitions than Dowman (477).

Even in sporadic appearances last term, Dowman got the crowd off their feet. In the tension of the title run-in, he came off the bench against a stubborn Everton side with 16 minutes left and the score at 0-0. His dangerous cross helped Arsenal break the deadlock in the 89th minute, before capping the sparkling cameo with a late goal later voted Arsenal’s Goal of the Season.

Comfortable on both wings and as a No. 10, he should find that his versatility offers him more opportunities this season, with manager Mikel Arteta even likening him to Lionel Messi. Said Arteta: “He has a certain charisma as well and personality that he doesn’t get overwhelmed, whether it’s by the situation or the stadium or the opposition.”

Rio Ngumoha, 17, Liverpool

In last season’s dismal title defence, Ngumoha was Liverpool’s undisputed bright spot. The winger became the Reds’ youngest scorer with his stoppage-time winner against Newcastle United, and was named Man of the Match on his England debut.

A prodigious dribbler with explosive acceleration, he registered two goals and an assist in 29 appearances, although just nine of them were starts.

Liverpool are set to give him a big pay bump and tie him down to a five-year contract when he turns 18 on Aug 29, following reported interest from Bayern Munich.

Mohamed Salah’s departure offers Ngumoha more opportunities, but the question is where, rather than if, he will play. Ngumoha favours the left but new manager Andoni Iraola wants his wingers to be adept on either flank. Said Ngumoha: “Being unpredictable off both sides is key... On the right I feel like I’m improving... So, yeah, definitely off the left and the right this season.”

Brian Madjo, 17, Aston Villa

Villa fans have been made to wait to watch 1.93m striker “Magic Madjo” play. But after his competitive debut against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the European Super Cup, it was not just them who took notice.

Though still raw, Madjo bullied PSG’s world-class backline and scored in the 2-1 loss, and could have even netted a hat-trick if he were more polished. This led skipper John McGinn to predict of Madjo that “he’s going to be a big player for us this season”.

Signed from French side Metz for £10 million (S$17.3 million) in January, Madjo faced a dispute over his international transfer status – he was born in England but raised in Luxembourg. The issue was settled only before the Super Cup game, after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Currently nursing a knock, Madjo has already shown Villa fans he is worth waiting for.

Shea Lacey, 19, Manchester United

Lacey’s most impactful moment last season was being sent off on his third senior appearance for the Red Devils after collecting two cautions in three minutes in an FA Cup loss to Brighton & Hove Albion. This season, he will be hoping to make a more positive contribution and the signs from pre-season, including his strike against Rosenborg and the quick feet that earned a penalty against Atletico Madrid, indicate he has the capacity to do so.

A nippy winger, the 1.67m Lacey possesses a left foot that makes him a threat from distance. There is no shortage of competition for United’s right-wing spot with Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo but the Englishman’s versatility – he featured more centrally as a No. 10 in pre-season – and United’s return to the Champions League may mean more minutes on the pitch. Under-18s boss Darren Fletcher believes Lacey “has got to be a big part of Manchester United’s future”, noting: “He’s creative and has got goals in him. He’s exciting, direct and fearless.”

Luka Vuskovic, 19, Brighton & Hove Albion

The Croatian centre-back became Brighton’s record signing following a £46 million summer move from Tottenham Hotspur in an effective job swop with Jan Paul van Hecke, who went the other way for £52 million. While Spurs are widely viewed to have had an excellent transfer window, gazumping high-profile rivals to top targets, Vuskovic’s departure could prove a massive misjudgment.

A breakthrough loan spell at Hamburg last term saw him make the Bundesliga Team of the Season, and after a 2-2 draw with runaway champions Bayern Munich, Germany legend Lothar Matthaus said of Vuskovic: “He was the Player of the Match. What he delivered defensively, how intelligently he plays... I believe something very special is developing.”

Vuskovic’s 1.93m frame makes him an imposing presence for forwards while also being a threat in the opposition box, and not just via headers – he won the Bundesliga’s 2025 Goal of the Year gong with a deft scorpion kick.