10 young players to watch
By James Dudko
Demarai Gray and Rob Holding are among the 10 best young players to watch in the 2017-18 Premier League season.
The Premier League isn’t the most welcoming place in the world for young players, but every season a handful make their mark. Precocious players such as Marcus Rashford, Dele Alli and Leroy Sane have all emerged as key players for members of the division’s top six in recent seasons.
The next young stars will come from a clutch of 10 intriguing prospects. Among them, Leicester winger Demarai Gray and Arsenal center-back Rob Holding stand out.
Read on for the full list of 10 young players to watch during the 2017-18 season.
10. Reiss Nelson, winger, Arsenal
Arsenal gave more minutes to more academy players than any other team in England’s top flight last season, according to PA Sport, via ESPN FC. It’s a policy reflecting manager Arsene Wenger’s fidelity to building through youth.
The likes of Francis Coquelin, Hector Bellerin, Alex Iwobi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have all come through the ranks in recent seasons. Young winger Reiss Nelson could be set to join them.
Nelson has already used this pre-season to impress. The 17-year-old caught the eye during the Gunners’ tour of Australia. His movement off the right flank showed an intelligence and feel for the game belying his tender years.
Nelson’s “array of skills and creative vision” have been saluted by Marc Isaacs of the Daily Mirror. Meanwhile, Wenger is already touting the teenager for an eventual role in the senior forward line, per Arsenal Player, via Metro‘s Mark Brus: “He’s a more offensive player, more a guy who can play as one of the three strikers or as an offensive midfielder.”
Don’t expect Nelson to break into the Gunners’ starting XI this season. However, he should see action in the domestic cup competitions, while also making his share of matchday squads in the league.
It’s the same path every academy graduate has taken on Wenger’s watch.