Friday 21 August 2015

Who are the youngsters that could break into their first team this season?

Reece Oxford
   
Age : 16
Nationality : English
Position : Central Defender/Defensive Midfielder
Height : 6ft 3in
First Team Appearances : 5
First Team goals : 0

The 16 year old made his competitive debut in the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round against FC Lusitanos and therefore became West Ham's youngest ever player. When the Hammers travelled to the Emirates Stadium on the opening day of the season, this young man was the surprise inclusion in the starting XI. In the premier league, as a young player, you have to make a good impression when you are given a chance in the first team and Reece did exactly that as he played a pivotal part in West Ham's shock 2-0 win. The young Englishman had a phenomenal game and managed to keep Mesut Ozil from having any influence on the game. The youngster looked strong when going in for a tackle and when the ball was at his feet, he looked as comfortable as anyone else on the pitch. You can see why Slaven Bilic has given this youngster a chance so far this season and if he keeps performing to a high standard, I'd expect to see him at one of the Premier League heavyweights within a few years. The important thing for Reece now is to keep a level head and not think to himself that he's made it as being arrogant will hinder his progression in the future. If he carries on improving his game, Reece Oxford could turn out to be one of England's key players in the future.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Age : 19
Nationality : English
Position : Midfielder
Height : 6ft 3in
First Team Appearances : 4
First Team  Goals : 0

The 19 year old could be linking up with Reece Oxford one day in the England senior squad but in the mean time, he will have to rack up more appearances at Chelsea in order to show his full potential. He made his professional debut in Chelsea's UEFA Champions League tie last December against Sporting Lisbon but had to wait until January 31st to make his Premier League debut in a 1-1 draw against Manchester City. On May 10th Ruben showcased his true talent when he played the first 60 minutes against Liverpool, the youngster's passing was incredible this game as he achieved a 100% pass completion rate. Despite showing positives last season, he received criticism from his manager Jose Mourinho who went on to say that Loftus-Cheek 'doesn't press, doesn't have intensity and he's waiting for everyone else to recover the ball.' For the youngster to make it into the first team, he will have to prove to his manager that he doesn't think he's the star of the show. Arrogance gets you nowhere in this game and Mourinho knows that so I'm sure he will be hoping the young man proves him wrong. This young man really has the potential to make it far and if Chelsea don't purchase a midfield partner for Matic, it would do them no harm to give Loftus-Cheek more game time.

Kelechi Iheanacho

Age : 18
Nationality : Nigerian
Position : Striker
Height : 6ft 1in
First Team Appearances : 0
First Team Goals : 0

The 18 year old Nigerian has only featured in pre season for Man City and youth levels since joining the club despite being impressive in almost every game he plays. In July 2015, Kelechi was included in the Man City squad for the pre-season tour of Australia where he set up Sterling's first goal for the club and scored the winner against Italian club Roma. The youngster is one of Africa's hottest prospects for the future and he showed this when playing in the 2013 African U-17 Championship where he scored 6 and assisted 7 goals as Nigeria finished as runners up. He proved against Roma that he can perform to a high standard against quality sides so I hope Manuel Pellegrini rewards the young man with his first senior appearance for the club. With Dzeko departing for Roma, the Nigerian striker has found himself on the bench for the first two games of the season so there is a high chance that he could find himself getting some game time during this campaign and if Aguero picks up an injury, this could be the season that he makes a name for himself.

Alex Pritchard

Age : 22
Nationality : English
Position : Winger/Attacking Midfielder
Height : 5ft 7.5in
First Team Appearances : 1
First Team Goals : 0

The English midfielder performed to an extremely high standard last season and was pivotal to Brentford's making the Playoffs last season. The 22 year old notched up an impressive 12 goals and 7 assists and was one of the most exciting players to watch in the Championship last season. With the 4-2-3-1 formation that Tottenham use, Pritchard will be hoping to break into one of those three positions behind Harry Kane and after his performances last season, I believe he has every opportunity of breaking into the first team this season and with Spurs' bad start to year, Alex Pritchard could be brought in and if he plays like he did last season, he has every chance of holding down a first team place.

Andreas Pereira

Age : 19
Nationality : Brazilian
Position : Midfielder
Height : 5ft 10in
First Team Appearances : 2
First Team Goals : 0

The flamboyant Brazilian midfielder made his senior debut against MK Dons in United's 4-0 defeat in the League Cup last season and he made his Premier League debut against Tottenham on March 15th in a 3-0 win. The youngster impressed in the U-21's last season in particular and his efforts were rewarded by him being voted as Man United's U-21 Player of the Season. If he keeps impressing at this level I believe he will get his chance to play for the first team again. The positive news for Andreas is that Louis Van Gaal is renowned for bringing through young talent and making them into superstars which he did with Ajax in particular. If he is given a chance to prove himself it will probably be in the Capital One Cup and if he performs well in those games, I wouldn't be surprised if he breaks into the first team this season. The tricky Brazilian is known for outstanding pace and athleticism, he can also score from distance which he proved when scoring a curled effort against Burnley in the 2013/14 FA Youth Cup.

Jarrod Bowen

Age : 18
Nationality : English
Position : Striker
Height : 5ft 11in
First Team Appearances : 0
First Team Goals : 0

Now this player may be one you've never heard of as he's not a well known player as of yet. The young striker made his first appearance for my local club Hereford United (now Hereford FC) on February 24th 2014 and went on to make 8 appearances for the Bulls in which he found the back of the net once however was unfortunate to have not scored more. His goal, however, was one of the most important of the season as Hereford needed to win both of their final games of the season to have a chance of staying up and in the first of these against Alfreton Town, Bowen scored the winner in a 3-2 win. Hereford United did stay up but Jarrod was signed by Hull City and has since moved up the ranks and now plays for the U-21 side. In the U-21's Pre-season tour of Spain, he scored the winning goal in their final game and then scored a brace on his return to Edgar Street against phoenix club Hereford FC. The striker took his chances well and it was clear to see how he had improved following his first year at Hull. The 18 year old looked sharp and clinical in front of goal and showed his understanding of the game had improved as his runs were well timed and he was a constant threat to the defence. With the improvements that he has made, I believe there is a good chance that if Hull's strikers pick up any injuries, the young man could step up and perform to the best of his abilities, however with that being said I think a loan move may be the more likely option for Steve Bruce to take.

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