pwshub.com

Which youngster is looking to impress at YOUR club in pre-season?

Pre-season is in full swing and with that comes the opportunity for youth to shine on a random summer's day in Austria. 

Premier League sides have been scattered around the continent and many of them will soon fly to the USA to undertake a schedule of high-profile friendlies. 

Among the youngsters vying for a place are youth World Cup winners, big-money signings, and starry-eyed prospects who have been with their club since the age of five. 

Erik ten Hag wants to introduce another young midfielder into his set-up  -as if Kobbie Mainoo was not sensational enough - while Liverpool have a 'revelation' on their hands according to Virgil van Dijk.

Mail Sport takes a look at one youngster from each Premier League club who could earn game time this summer and beyond.  

With pre-season underway, which young stars are competing to play in the Premier League?

Arsenal - Ethan Nwaneri, 17

In some respects Ethan Nwaneri has already made it. In 2022 he became the youngest player in Premier League history when he came off the bench aged 15 and 181 days.

Now 17, the midfielder is part of Arsenal's 26-man squad for their tour of the United States and will be chomping at the bit for game time.

A haul of 10 goals in 22 games at Premier League 2 level - an excellent return from midfield - suggests he deserves to build on his two outings so far. 

Ethan Nwaneri is already the youngest player in Premier League history but will want to make a claim for more consistent football 

Aston Villa - Louie Barry, 21

This season is a big one for Louie Barry, wherever he spends it. 

Last term the former Barcelona youngster managed nine goals in 23 outings at Stockport County in League Two.

Once heralded as the next big thing, after four seasons at Villa he has only made one appearance - in an FA Cup gamed against Liverpool in 2021, during which he equalised.  

Louie Barry is hoping this season will finally go in his favour at Aston Villa as he is yet to make his Premier League debut 

Bournemouth - Daniel Adu-Adjei, 19

The Cherries' squad for their first tour Stateside since 2016 is fairly threadbare in terms of young, unproven personnel. 

Striker Daniel Adu-Adjei, who made his debut for Bournemouth in the FA Cup last season and also spent time on loan at Leyton Orient, will be hoping to leave his mark.

Defensive duo Owen Bevan and Max Kinsey have also been taken along, but the latter has picked up an injury. 

Striker Daniel Adu-Adjei has a packed field ahead of him to earn minutes at Bournemouth

Brentford - Fin Stevens, 21

After a successful loan at Oxford United last season, where he was a regular starter and helped them gain promotion to the Championship, right-back Fin Stevens will want to prove himself at a higher level.

In June he earned his first senior Wales call-up and started in friendlies against Gibraltar and Slovakia. 

Brentford's Fin Stevens had a successful loan at Oxford United and has been capped for Wales

Brighton - Valentin Barco, 19

Valentin Barco has unfinished business. A youth graduate of Argentine side Boca Juniors, the left-back managed just six outings after signing for Brighton in January. 

He earned the tag of 'Football Manager's most wanted wonderkid' for a reason. Good in the attack, the youngster who helped Boca Juniors reach the 2023 Copa Libertadores final can prove his worth with more cracks of the whip. 

Valentina Barco was seen as a wonderkid in Argentina and hopes to make more of a mark at Brighton this season 

Chelsea - David Datro Fofana, 21

The route into the first team is notoriously difficult for youngsters at Chelsea, so we've gone for somebody more senior here. 

He had an unprolific loan spell at Union Berlin in the first half of last season, but four goals in 15 games at Burnley represented progress - and that screamer against West Ham was superb. 

With a new boss in Enzo Maresca, Fofana has the chance to prove himself afresh and provide more of a credible challenge to Nicolas Jackson. 

David Datro Fofana is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to prove his worth to Chelsea

Crystal Palace - Chadi Riad, 21

Palace made Chadi Riad their first signing of the summer, picking up the centre-back from Barcelona in a £14million deal.

In the event Marc Guehi leaves, they could have an oven-ready replacement in Riad, a Moroccan international who was a regular on loan at Real Betis last season as they qualified for Europe. 

New £14million signing Chadi Riad will hope to step into Marc Guehi's boots at Crystal Palace

Everton - Reece Welch, 20 

Centre-back Reece Welch will be looking to build on his two cup outings so far.

He spent the first half of last season on loan at Forest Green Rovers before Everton recalled him to continue his development.

With Jarrad Branthwaite potentially exiting the club - if Manchester United can match Everton's asking price - opportunity could present itself for a a lad who has been with the club since the age of seven. 

Reece Welch has been with Everton since the age of seven and has made two appearances

Fulham - Luke Harris, 18

Luke Harris isn't exactly a new name on the block at Fulham. Two years ago we could have written a similar piece about him as he was in pre-season camps back then.

Since then he has made eight appearances for them and been part of the Wales senior team, though he is yet to earn a cap. 

A loan at Exeter in League One last season allowed the attack-minded midfielder a taste of regular senior action. Now it's up to him to prove he can cut it at a higher level.  

Fulham youngster Luke Harris had his first taste of regular senior action at Exeter last season

Ipswich Town - Liam Delap, 21

One of the more established stars on this list and realistically one who will be competing for a first-team berth. 

Ipswich have signed the England U21s forward from Manchester City and he already has a couple of Championship seasons under his belt after loans with Stoke, Preston, and Hull. 

George Hirst is the clear first choice for now but Delap's ability to be versatile, slotting in as a striker or a winger, gives him a better chance of action. 

England U21s international Liam Delap hoeps to make his mark with new club Ipswich Town

Leicester City - Ben Nelson, 20

Formerly a Foxes academy player of the year, centre-back Nelson has already had a chance to impress Steve Cooper in a pre-season run-out against Villarreal. 

He made his debut last August and earned a new contract in December, showing Leicester's faith in him. 

Ben Nelson had a successful time in Leicester's academy and debuted last August 

Liverpool - Trey Nyoni, 17

Take your pick of Liverpool youngsters, who have varying degrees of experience Conor Bradley, Ben Doak, Jayden Danns, the list goes on. 

One to keep an eye on is attacking midfielder Trey Nyoni, who became Liverpool's youngest-ever FA Cup player when he debuted against Southampton in February.

He almost scored against Preston in Arne Slot's first game in charge - a 1-0 defeat - and he should get more opportunities this summer. Virgil van Dijk has previously hailed him as a 'revelation' and 'incredible,' so that's a start. 

Trey Nyoni, 17, is just one of multiple young stars capable of winning game time at Liverpool

Manchester City - Maximo Perrone, 21

Returning after a year on loan abroad, defensive midfielder Maximo Perrone has a point to prove at one of the hardest teams to break into in the world.

City clearly believed in him when they handed him a five-and-a-half-year contract on signing him from Velez Sarsfield in his native Argentina in January 2023.

However, he only managed a couple of outings and spent last season on loan at Las Palmas in LaLiga. He's in City's tour squad, but it remains to be seen if he can get minutes in the longer term. 

Man City did not consider Maximo Perrone ready last season so loaned him out to Las Palmas. Could he make a splash now?

Manchester United - Toby Collyer, 20 

Defensive midfielder Toby Collyer is set for first-team minutes this season after impressing Erik ten Hag.

He joined the club in 2022 from Brighton and has already earned a new deal, which runs until 2027 with the option of another year.

So far in pre-season he has featured in both of their games, starting in the 2-0 win over Rangers and captaining his team-mates in the second half of the 1-0 defeat by Rosenborg. 

Toby Collyer is reportedly going to be given a chance by Erik ten Hag this season  

Newcastle United - Joe White, 21 

Attacking midfielder Joe White made his first batch of appearances for Newcastle last season and featured in their Australian jaunt three days after last season ended. 

Having been hardened by a series of loans in League One and Two, this feels a critical pre-season for White to show he has what it takes to compete at the highest level. 

Joe White has been on multiple loans away from Newcastle but is with them for pre-season

Nottingham Forest - Eric da Silva Moreira, 18

A new right-back on the scene at the City Ground, Eric da Silva Moreira has lots of pedigree at youth level.

He has won the World Cup and European Championship with Germany's Under-17s and impressed with a purposeful pre-season debut against Chesterfield. 

It might be too early for many competitive minutes - he made one appearance at St. Pauli in Germany's second tier last season - but he is an exciting prospect.  

Eric da Silva Moreira has won the World Cup and European Championship with Germany's U17s

Southampton - Sam Amo-Ameyaw, 18

Multiple clubs are reportedly interested in signing Sam Amo-Ameyaw but Russell Martin has told the starlet to 'stake a claim' in their pre-season training camp in Spain.

The winger enjoyed his breakout season last year, making seven appearances, but he and fellow youngster Tyler Dibling will be eager to convert that into Premier League minutes after promotion. 

Russell Martin has instructed Sam Amo-Ameyaw to 'stake a claim' for football this pre-season

Tottenham - Lucas Bergvall, 18 

One of the new faces around the Spurs camp and he suffered a blow in their friendly against QPR, but Ange Postecoglou has insisted he's 'just a bit sore'. 

He joins alongside Archie Gray, whose £30million price tag felt a bit excessive to feature in this article - he's virtually guaranteed game time. 

Bergvall, coming from Swedish club Djurgarden, has everything to prove in the English game but he is highly promising and has already been capped for his country. 

Lucas Bergvall is making a big step up to Tottenham from Swedish football in a £8.5m move

West Ham - Lewis Orford, 18

With the club since the age of five, Orford is on the path of dreams. He accompanied West Ham in their pre-season camp in Austria and has featured twice in pre-season. 

Once compared with Frank Lampard, Orford has been making waves for the last few years and it's not surprise that he's now on the cusp of the first team. 

Similar to Gray at Spurs, the Hammers have also signed 18-year-old Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras for around £25m, but you expect him to feature at that sort of price tag. 

Lewis Orford has been with West Ham since the age of five and was once compared with Frank Lampard

Wolves - Pedro Lima, 18 

Plucked from the relative obscurity of the Brazilian second tier this summer for £8.5million, it's new territory for Pedro Lima.

The right-back chose Wolves and the chance of first-team minutes instead of going with Chelsea, who wanted to develop him at sister club Strasbourg. 

He only turned 18 this month and will have to dislodge Matt Doherty and Nelson Semedo, but being involved in Wolves' pre-season camp in Marbella was a start.

Can Pedro Lima win a place in Wolves' team after leaving behind the second tier of Brazil?

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Related stories
1 month ago - Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates from the early Sunday kick-off time between Brentford and Crystal Palace.
1 month ago - CHRIS WHEELER IN LOS ANGELES: Erik ten Hag sat down with reporters at Manchester United's training base in Los Angeles to discuss his hopes for the new season and wider thoughts.
1 month ago - Pre-season often provides youngsters with a chance to impress in the first-team and that has certainly been the case this summer. Mail Sport assesses some of the stars of the future.
1 month ago - LEWIS STEELE AT THE WILLIAMS-BRICE STADIUM: Liverpool put on a show for an expectant sell-out crowd in Columbia, South Carolina and thrashed bitter English rivals Manchester United.
2 weeks ago - The 19-year-old midfielder will seek to regain full match fitness and regular minutes this season after playing just once last season due to a serious calf injury.
Other stories
11 minutes ago - Ben Chilwell trained with Chelsea's first team on Monday after reaching a truce with Enzo Maresca to avoid him spending the next four months in the football wilderness.
1 hour ago - Tom Brady and Rob McElhenney have been pictured in a deep conversation ahead of Birmingham City's showdown with Wrexham. 
1 hour ago - Nathan Delfouneso is set to take charge of National League North side AFC Fylde on a temporary basis.
2 hours ago - All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday appointed Santosh Kashyap as the new head coach of the national senior women's team, replacing former international player Chaoba Devi at the helm of affairs.
2 hours ago - WITH an increasing sense of regularity, Dave King continues to pop up and offer his views on the current malaise at Rangers.