Noah Sadiki, Leny Yoro, Nico O'Reilly and Lewis Hallplaceholder image
Noah Sadiki, Leny Yoro, Nico O'Reilly and Lewis Hall | Getty Images/Iconic Media Group
Who is the best young player in the Premier League? Our weekly countdown works it out...
Every week, our journalists pore over the stats, comb through the tape, and gather round the table to put together our Top 10 of the best young players in the Premier League right now, based not on potential but on their recent performances at the highest level – The Wonderkid Power Rankings.
Last week, West Ham’s astonishingly consistent Mateus Fernandes equalled our record by claiming top spot for a fifth consecutive week, but can he set a new bar by making it six on the trot? Or will any of the chasing pack finally hunt him down during a week in which many of our contenders impressed?
We’ve got one player dropping out of the rankings this week, Chelsea’s Estêvão Willian, who missed his side’s 1-1 draw with Burnley through injury. No doubt he’ll be back when he’s fit and healthy enough. His departure makes way for a returning player who will be the first name of the list in this week’s countdown…
10. Leny Yoro – Manchester United (re-entry)
Yoro enjoyed a promising run of form over the autumn before his performances dropped off and he lost his starting spot as a result – but Yoro played well off the bench against West Ham last week before getting the nod against Everton on Monday, and put in a very fine performance, winning every one-on-one on the ground, recovering possession five times (including two interceptions) and blocking a shot. He could have stood stronger in the air, but that’s splitting hairs. This was a good outing for the expensive young Frenchman.
9. Michael Kayode – Brentford (⬇️3)
Kayode was an unexpected injury absentee for Brentford’s 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, and loses some spots as a result – given that early indications suggest he will be back soon, we didn’t believe it was worth dropping a player who has spent much of the season in the top five entirely, but a demotion of some kind was necessary nonetheless.
8. Álex Jiménez – AFC Bournemouth (⬇️1)
A solid if not necessarily inspiring display from the Spaniard this weekend, in a thoroughly uninspiring 0-0 draw with West Ham. Jiménez let precious little get past him at the back but didn’t necessarily put in a particularly dominant performance, while his attempts to spark attacks going forwards ultimately fell flat. A three-star match from a fine and in-form player.
7. Noah Sadiki – Sunderland (⬆️3)
This was pretty much the archetypal Sadiki performance: Rock solid in defence, winning every one-on-one situation he found himself in while forcing six turnovers; tidy in possession, scarcely ever giving the ball away; and perhaps lacking in a little bit of dynamism on the ball. Given that his role in Sunderland’s side is to defend and he did so immaculately, however, we have no compunction about giving him a bit of a bump up the rankings.
6. Mateus Mané – Wolverhampton Wanderers (⬆️3)
The teenage forward was relatively quiet against Arsenal before his late cross sowed the confusion which led to Wolves’ equalising goal, but he was rather livelier against Crystal Palace, giving opposing defenders conniptions with his darting runs and drawing four fouls – one of which was led to the penalty which team-mate Tolu Arokodare ultimately missed. Another week of daring, exciting attacking play which created one goal and could easily have generated another. No wonder his name is cropping up in the gossip columns with increasing frequency.
5. Rayan – AFC Bournemouth (⬇️2)
After scoring two goals and providing a third across his first three games as a Bournemouth player, Rayan was bound to have a quieter match at some point – and it came in the 0-0 draw with West Ham, although he still found time to rattle the frame of the goal from just outside the box. That highlight reel moment aside, the Brazilian winger was becalmed for large portions of the game, the first in which he didn’t have a really significant impact since arriving in England.
4. Kobbie Mainoo – Manchester United (⬇️2)
The midfielder really didn’t do much wrong against Everton and put in a pretty impressive defensive shift, blocking a shot, forcing three turnovers and making several important clearances, but wasn’t able to make a dent in the Toffees’ defence or to do much more with the ball than keep possession ticking over. This was still another decent week for a player rejuvenated by Michael Carrick’s arrival in the dugout, but he drops two spots with other starlets outdoing him over the weekend.
3. Lewis Hall – Newcastle United (⬆️1)
One of those who outdid Mainoo was Hall, who not only scored with a heavily-deflected strike from 20 yards against Manchester City but also compiled an impressive stats sheet – between that match and the cosy Champions League win over Qarabag, for instance, he forced a massive 17 turnovers. There were some dicier defensive moments against City and he is still perhaps a little too vulnerable to fast-moving ball-carriers, but there was ultimately far more good work at both ends of the pitch than bad.
2. Nico O’Reilly – Manchester City (⬆️3)
O’Reilly’s sudden move from left-back to attacking midfielder is paying dividends for the young England international, who now has three goals in three games and scored twice to defeat Newcastle – the first a rasping drive from the edge of the area and the second a fine header from Erling Haaland’s cross after a well-judged late run. If you’re looking for criticisms, it’s fair to say that he didn’t get as involved in the build-up play as he might have and he only registered 29 touches this weekend. The impact, however, is undeniable.
1. Mateus Fernandes – West Ham United (-)
O’Reilly made a strong case for the number one spot this week, but Fernandes’ form over the last month or two has simply been so strong and so consistent that he deserves a record-breaking sixth week with the crown. He remained at his exceptional best in an otherwise dreary match against Bournemouth, winning all five of his attempted tackles and forcing eight turnovers off the ball (a record any defensive midfielder should be proud of and which Fernandes equals on a weekly basis) and created two shooting chances up the other end. The goals and assists may not have been there this time, but the Portuguese youngster remains one of the most reliable engines of any midfield in the Premier League.
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