It’s Tuesday and that means, as always, that it’s time for our weekly attempt to decide who the best young player in the Premier League is right now based on their form at the very highest level – and we’ve got plenty of ups and downs in our latest top ten, as well as two brand new entries.
Aston Villa striker and officially licensed super sub Jhon Durán took the crown last week for the very first time, but can he become the first of our wonderkids to hold on to top spot for back-to-back weeks this season?
We’ll reveal that soon enough, but only after saying farewell to the three players who drop out of the Wonderkid Power Rankings this week to make room for youngsters hitting higher notes – Leicester City duo Abdul Fatawu and Victor Kristiansen (the latter of which is a little unlucky as he didn’t do much wrong but did get out-performed) and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, who hasn’t been at his dominant best and has to take the bench for a little while. We’d expect to see them all back at some stage this season.
10. Destiny Udogie – Tottenham Hotspur (new entry)
The Italian full-back was a regular in last season’s rankings but has taken a little while to hit his stride this time around – a couple of fine outings in the league win over Brentford and the EFL Cup defeat of Coventry City suggest he’s getting back to his best, though. He was especially impressive against Brentford, racking up ten tackles and interceptions, looking strong in one-on-ones and popping up all over the left flank. His best game in a little while, and enough to push him ahead of the solid but less spectacular Kristiansen.
9. Savinho – Manchester City (re-entry)
The summer signing was our second number one of the season but injury meant he sat out a few weeks, and while he didn’t force his way straight back in (he was extremely lively on comeback against Brentford but probably should have got on the scoresheet), he’s made it in again now after a pinpoint through ball against Arsenal which split the league’s tightest defence in two and allowed Erling Haaland to score the opener. He looked lively in patches in the rather less thrilling 0-0 Champions League draw against Inter Milan as well.
8. Yankuba Minteh – Brighton & Hove Albion (⬇️4)
The Gambian winger is on notice after two poor performances for the Seagulls over the past week. We saw occasional flashes of quality in the final third but no end product and further evidence of a worrying habit of drifting out of games for long periods. He also struggled in tight spots, winning just one of 17 one-on-one duels in two appearances. His work ethic is unquestionable, but he needs to win in more of those situations to be able to show off his quality.
7. Alejandro Garnacho – Manchester United (NE)
Another staple of the 2023/24 rankings who makes a belated appearance in the current campaign’s top ten following a slow start to the season. He followed up his first goal of the season with a brace in the League Cup against Barnsley and a pair of assists and while he missed a fine chance against Crystal Palace when he struck the bar, he still looked rather more lively than most of his team-mates in Saturday’s 0-0 draw. The Argentine seems to be picking up steam.
6. Lewis Hall – Newcastle United (⬇️1)
Despite a strong start to the season, the left-back was benched for the first half of the disappointing 3-1 defeat to Fulham, only coming on at half-time. He was rock solid after getting onto the pitch, however, making every tackle he was asked to and almost every pass, but didn’t manage to provide much of a threat going forward, so he drops a place despite a solid showing that will most likely earn him his starting spot back next time out.
5. Levi Colwill – Chelsea (⬆️ 1)
Chelsea looked impressive in defeating West Ham United 3-0 over the weekend and while Jarrod Bowen got the better of Colwill a couple of times, the young centre-back did all the most important things right and looked extremely comfortable on the ball, even generating a very good chance for Christopher Nkunku when he headed a set piece back across goal.
Colwill made 55 accurate passes from 74 touches in total including some very accurate direct passes downfield and swept up most of West Ham’s attempts at long balls with ease and aplomb. Not a standout performance, perhaps, but another one which underlined his quality.
4. Kobbie Mainoo – Manchester United (⬇️1)
Another player who can be put in the ‘solid if unspectacular’ category this week, Mainoo didn’t do a great deal wrong against Crystal Palace but equally wasn’t able to inspire his team into a winning performance or to make the difference himself in a pretty indifferent overall outing for the Red Devils.
Given a rest for the 7-0 thumping of League One Barnsley, Mainoo played some neat passes and did his midfield grunt work without making any mistakes, but didn’t create any telling chances or force an especially impressive number of turnovers. A 6/10 sort of game from a very good player.
3. Jack Hinshelwood – Brighton & Hove Albion (⬆️ 4)
The versatile teenager is going from strength to strength at the moment, and seems to be putting up strong performances regardless of what Fabian Hürzeler asks him to do – after starting the season at left-back he was on the right for the League Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and then used as a midfielder in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, a game in which Hinshelwood bagged his first goal of the season.
A brilliant header at the far post levelled the scores for the Seagulls, and he could easily have had an assist once or twice as well as he passed the ball beautifully throughout. He may not have managed anything quite so showy in the League Cup but he didn’t put a foot wrong, either, one single foul which drew a booking aside, and he didn’t allow Wolves to create any meaningful chances from the areas he patrolled. A seriously good week for a burgeoning talent.
2. Rico Lewis – Manchester City (-)
No movement for Lewis, who had what we can only describe as a strange game against Inter Milan in the Champions League before he found himself relegated a little harshly to the bench for the potential title showdown against Arsenal on Sunday.
We say a strange game because while Lewis barely made even the slightest mistake, making practically every pass and showing his usual composure in possession and intelligent off-ball movement, his stats sheet is weirdly blank – zero tackles, interceptions, or turnovers, zero one-on-one duels won or lost, and zero shots, key passes, final balls or almost anything. He did everything right while being bizarrely uninvolved. We won’t punish him for that in the rankings, however, and he just about hangs on to second spot after a near-flawless start to the season. Hinshelwood is snapping at his heels, however.
1. Jhon Durán – Aston Villa (-)
The supersub keeps on scoring. Having already broken the record for most winners scored in a single season by a substitute in the Premier League (which only took him four matches) he bagged yet another in the 3-1 win over Wolves – although this one wasn’t a winner, and nor was it as spectacular as his screamer against Everton the week before.
Instead, Morgan Rogers presented him with a tap-in with goalkeeper Sam Johnstone stranded, but while the 20-year-old Colombian may have got his goal on easy mode this time, we’re hardly going to send him tumbling down the rankings for bagging the chances when they’re presented to him. Why Unai Emery won’t give him a start is a little mystifying, but the Colombian’s red-hot run of form in front of goal doesn’t seem likely to slow down any time soon. Congratulations on becoming our first two-time number one of the season, Jhon.
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