WAYNE ROONEY, James Milner, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Lennon all made their Premier League debuts at 16 – and each enjoyed successful careers in England’s top flight.
But it is Ethan Nwaneri who holds the record as the league’s youngest ever player.
The Arsenal teenager was just 15 years and 181 days old when he laced up his boots and took to the field against Brentford in 2022.
He then handed in his homework as usual on the Monday morning such was his dedication to his GCSEs.
Jeremy Monga became only the second 15-year-old to grace the revamped top flight, making seven substitute appearances for Leicester during their recent relegation campaign.
And now Liverpool kid Rio Ngumoha hopes to make his Premier League bow before turning 17 later in August after stunning in pre-season under Arne Slot.
But while Nwaneri has kicked on to become an important member of Mikel Arteta’s squad, that is not the case for every teenage star.
Because for each Nwaneri and Rooney who proved they were not just flash-in-the-pan wonderkids, there are those who burn brightly but quickly and soon fade away.
So after SunSport did a deep dive into the top teenage talents ready to light up the Premier League this season , who and where are some of the less remembered young debutants now?
MATTHEW BRIGGS
Briggs held the record for the Prem’s youngest ace for 12 years between his substitute appearance for Fulham against Middlesbrough in 2007 and Harvey Elliott’s debut – also for the Cottagers.
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But while Elliott moved on to win the Premier League and Club World Cup with Liverpool, left-back Briggs ended up having a journeyman career featuring 14 clubs in England and two in Denmark – before going into personal training .
The London-born England youth and Guyana senior international hung up his boots in 2023 aged 32 after stints in the Southern League Premier Division South – with Gosport Borough – and finally with Horsham in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
JOSE BAXTER
Baxter made his Everton debut at 16 in August 2008 but decided to leave the Toffees in search of more regular first-team minutes.
However, his decent EFL career was derailed by a drugs ban after testing positive for ecstasy in 2015 – claiming his drink was spiked.
Was also released without charge following an arrest on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply and suspicion of possessing counterfeit money and retired from football aged just 29.
REECE OXFORD
Expectations were sky high when West Ham’s youngest player Reece Oxford helped orchestrate a 2-0 win away at Arsenal on the opening day of the 2015-16 season.
Underwhelming loans to Reading, Borussia Monchengladbach twice and Augsburg followed, before he completed a permanent switch to Augsburg in 2019.
However, Oxford suffered a meniscus tear then started struggling with the effects of long Covid, prompting a domino of health issues .
He was released by Augsburg at the end of last season having not played for two years.
ANTWOINE HACKFORD
Hackford got the nod during the 2020-21 lockdown season to make his Sheffield United debut aged 16 – 11 days younger than Wayne Rooney was when he made his first Premier League appearance.
The striker missed a year with an ACL injury but has just signed for AFC Wimbledon in League One, still only 21.
MARK PLATTS
Platts replaced Chris Waddle for Sheffield Wednesday while still a 16-year-old trainee in a 2-1 win over Wimbledon in 1996.
He then came on against Tottenham two weeks later but did not play again for the Owls after turning pro later that year.
The Sheffield-born star went to Torquay but was released as he struggled with homesickness and briefly reunited with Waddle at Worksop Town before moving, fittingly, to work in the steel industry.
RUSHIAN HEPBURN-MURPHY
Hepburn-Murphy was one of the many youngsters given a shot by Tim Sherwood after banging in 18 goals in 21 games for Aston Villa’s youth side before his 2015 debut in a 4-0 win at Sunderland.
That prompted congratulatory tweets from family friend Daniel Sturridge but the former England youth international has now joined MK Dons from Crawley aged 26 – after two years at Pafos in Cyprus.
JACK ROBINSON
There must be something special about anyone who can lay claim to being Liverpool’s youngest player of all time.
That’s the tag Robinson boasted after the then-16-year-old defender’s senior debut as a sub against Hull in 2010 – in what was Rafa Benitez’s last game in charge.
Jose Enrique’s arrival shunted his path to the long-term left-back spot and injuries to his knee, foot and groin have all stalled his progress.
Left Anfield for QPR in 2014, had two years at Nottingham Forest but Robinson is now settled as a regular at Sheffield United, joining in 2019.
