Teenagers Set to Shine in Premier League Pre-Season
Pre-season used to be for senior pros playing their way back into rhythm. This summer, it belongs to the kids.
Across England’s elite, teenagers are being pushed to the front of the stage. Some are already carrying heavy expectations, others are fighting simply to be noticed. All of them know the next few weeks could change their careers.
Liverpool’s New Wing Hope
Liverpool supporters have barely finished talking about Trey Nyoni and Amara Nallo, and already another name is being pushed into the conversation: Josh Abe.
He is only 16, but the club have moved quickly. Abe will travel with the first team on their tour of the United States, his first extended spell around senior professionals after dipping into a few of Arne Slot’s sessions last season as a 15-year-old. Those cameos were not charity. He earned them.
For the Under-18s, Abe produced eight goals and three assists in just 10 league games before injury cut his season short. That form lit up the academy and, just as importantly, lit up the scouting departments of others. Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City all tried to tempt him away. Liverpool dug in and kept him on Merseyside.
Now the pathway opens up. A left-footed winger who loves to start on the right and drive infield, Abe steps into a squad suddenly light in wide areas. Mohamed Salah has gone, Victor Munoz will report late after Spain’s run to the World Cup title, and the door is ajar. Liverpool do not expect him to be the new star overnight. They do expect to find out how quickly he can grow into that conversation.
Chelsea’s Left-Side Puzzle and the Emenalo Legacy
At Chelsea, the vacancy is glaring. Marc Cucurella has gone to Real Madrid, leaving a hole on the left that Xabi Alonso must solve, whether he sets up with a back three or a back four.
There are senior options. Jorrel Hato and Levi Colwill offer flexibility, while new arrivals Valentin Barco and Geovany Quenda can both work as wing-backs, even if Quenda looks more natural on the right in that role. Yet Alonso’s eye keeps drifting towards the academy building.
Landon Emenalo is hard to ignore. The surname carries weight at Stamford Bridge – he is the son of former director of football Michael Emenalo – but the teenager is carving out his own reputation. Comfortable as a midfielder or at left-back, he stands out for how calm he looks on the ball, how naturally he takes responsibility in possession at age-group level for both Chelsea and England.
He will be on the plane as Chelsea head to Australia and Asia, part of a cluster of youngsters Alonso wants to examine up close. Reggie Walsh, Shim Mheuka and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen will join him, each tipped internally for big futures in west London. The left side is open. Someone is going to seize it.
United’s ‘Little Messi’ Steps Into the Light
Every academy has its whispered legend. At Manchester United, that role currently belongs to JJ Gabriel.
Inside Carrington, the nickname has followed him for years: “Little Messi.” It is a tag that weighs heavy on most shoulders. Gabriel has worn it while tearing through defences. Last season he turned 15 in October and still dominated the U18 Premier League, scoring 23 goals in 23 league games and walking away with the division’s Player of the Season award. He then drove United to the FA Youth Cup final.
Now the wider world gets a closer look. United’s pre-season schedule is a sprint through Europe, taking in Dublin, Gothenburg and Wroclaw. Gabriel did not feature in the opening friendly against Wrexham, but Michael Carrick is expected to give him chances as the tour unfolds.
Already capped by England at Under-17 level, Gabriel can play as a central striker or off the flank, and inside United there is a genuine belief that his ceiling is as high as any academy graduate in the past two decades. The anticipation has been building for years. This summer, he finally steps towards the senior stage.
Everton’s Goal Hunt and Graham’s Opportunity
Everton’s need is simple: more goals. Beto and Thierno Barry improved as last season dragged on, yet the Toffees still finished short of the firepower required to chase a return to European football for the first time since 2017-18.
That is where Braiden Graham enters the picture.
The 18-year-old scored 25 times in 34 games across Everton’s youth sides last term, form that earned him a first call-up to the senior Northern Ireland squad for their June friendlies. Now he joins David Moyes’ group for pre-season, edging towards his first minutes in senior club football.
Graham grew up as a central striker, but his slight frame has pushed him wider over the past year. Off the left, he has found a new groove, drifting in from the flank to finish and create. If he keeps catching Moyes’ eye over the coming weeks, Everton’s search for goals might be answered from within.
Villa Fight FIFA as Madjo Keeps Scoring
One of the most intriguing young forwards in England is not yet allowed to play a competitive game for his club.
Brian Madjo was starting Ligue 1 matches for Metz at 16, a powerful, 6ft 4in striker bullying grown defenders in France’s top flight. Aston Villa moved fast in January, paying £10 million to bring him to Villa Park. Then the paperwork shut the door.
Madjo had already played three senior games for Luxembourg before switching allegiance to England, where he was born. FIFA has interpreted those caps as enough to classify him as a foreign player who cannot be transferred outside his “home nation” until he turns 18. Villa have taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, fighting to overturn the decision.
While lawyers argue, Madjo is allowed to play in friendlies. He wasted no time reminding people what he can do, scoring twice against Walsall in Villa’s first pre-season outing since lifting the Europa League. The comparisons with Romelu Lukaku come easily: the frame, the power, the direct running.
Whether he is cleared for the first half of Villa’s season remains unknown. What is certain is that Unai Emery will use this summer to study him closely. When the green light finally comes, Villa want him ready.
City’s Quiet Rock at the Back
Enzo Maresca’s first pre-season as Manchester City manager will be shaped by absentees. A chunk of his senior squad went deep into the World Cup and will rejoin late, forcing him to lean on youth during the tour of Asia.
Jeremy Monga, signed from Leicester City after beating Arsenal to his signature, will draw plenty of attention. Yet within the club, there is just as much curiosity about Stephen Mfuni.
The 18-year-old centre-back made his City debut in January before heading out on loan to Watford. In the Championship, he looked immediately at home, reading the game with a composure beyond his years until injury cut short his spell at Vicarage Road.
Now he is fit again and back in sky blue. Left-footed, comfortable stepping into midfield with the ball, and strong in one-on-one duels, Mfuni has already attracted interest from Premier League clubs keen to take him on loan. City see something more: the profile of a future England international, and a defender who can anchor their back line for years.
The next few weeks will tell them how close he is.
Arsenal’s Other 16-Year-Old
Kayden Dowman has taken much of the spotlight at Arsenal, but Hale End has not stopped producing. Marli Salmon is the next teenager being ushered towards the first-team picture.
Salmon made four senior appearances last season, a significant number for a 16-year-old defender in a title-winning squad. With William Saliba unavailable and both Ben White and Jurrien Timber still managing their recoveries, Mikel Arteta is likely to lean on him again once pre-season friendlies begin in early August.
Able to play at right-back or in his preferred role at centre-back, Salmon is admired in north London for his maturity on the pitch and his assurance with the ball at his feet. Arsenal’s academy staff believe he has the temperament to handle the scrutiny that comes with being part of the Premier League champions’ plans. This summer will test that belief.
Newcastle’s Dutch Conductor
Newcastle’s summer has been turbulent. Key players have gone, the balance sheet has been watched nervously, and yet amid the noise, they have quietly invested in the future.
Sean Steur is the clearest example. Signed from Ajax for £23m after breaking into the Dutch club’s first team and impressing in the Eredivisie, the 18-year-old arrives with a reputation as a passer of rare quality. He was on the radar of several top Premier League sides before choosing Tyneside.
With Sandro Tonali out and Bruno Guimaraes potentially leaving a gap in midfield over the coming seasons, Steur has a chance to stake an early claim. Many of Newcastle’s senior midfielders are still on post-World Cup breaks, so Eddie Howe is expected to give him plenty of minutes as the Magpies spend most of pre-season in the UK.
If he dictates games the way he did in Amsterdam, the transition could be quicker than anyone anticipated.
Spurs’ Homegrown Spark
Tottenham have lurched from one problem to another in recent years, but beneath the surface, something is starting to look right. Roberto De Zerbi has a squad being reshaped in his image, and the academy conveyor belt is beginning to feed directly into his plans.
Luca Williams-Barnett stands near the front of that line. The attacking midfielder, who can also operate wide, made his first-team debut last September. Then he waited. Opportunities were scarce, minutes limited.
That might be about to change. Williams-Barnett impressed in Wednesday’s win over MK Dons and has forced his way into the squad travelling to Australia and New Zealand for the next phase of pre-season. With fellow academy talent Mikey Moore potentially heading out on loan again, there is a genuine route to competitive minutes this season.
Tottenham want more invention between the lines. Williams-Barnett has the tools to provide it.
Brighton Bet Big on Yohanna
Brighton’s model is well known: find undervalued talent early, polish it, sell high. This summer, the numbers have gone up, but the principle remains.
Luka Vuskovic has already arrived from Tottenham in a deal worth £46m. On the wing, the Seagulls have committed another £21.5m to sign Zadok Yohanna from AIK. It is a serious fee for a teenager, and Brighton have paid it because the data and the eye test tell the same story.
Since the turn of the year, Yohanna has delivered five goals and four assists in just 11 club appearances. Chelsea tracked him, but Brighton moved decisively. He brings blistering pace, a full repertoire of tricks and the kind of directness that terrifies full-backs.
As Brighton head to France for the opening leg of their pre-season, Yohanna will not be hidden. They have paid for a winger who can give defenders nightmares. Now they want to see it, live, against senior opposition.
From Liverpool’s right flank to Brighton’s left wing, from United’s “Little Messi” to City’s new defensive organiser, the story of this pre-season is not just who is missing after a long World Cup summer. It is who steps up to replace them.
By the time the Premier League kicks off, which of these teenagers will still be just prospects on paper – and which will have forced their way into the conversation for good?
