15 Premier League youngsters who could have breakout 2020-21 seasons
Burnley LM Dwight McNeil
Burnley’s Dwight McNeil is a 20-year-old worth getting excited about, and he won’t be an overlooked piece in his club’s attack for much longer. The winger could even be headed for a bigger club like Arsenal or Manchester United in the near future, but, for now, he’s continuing his development with the Clarets.
McNeil was a key starter for Burnley this past season, logging 2,535 minutes across 29 Premier League appearances so far. Although he had a modest two goals and five assists, McNeil put in so much hard work to create for others, always willing to take defenders on.
Per WhoScored.com, McNeil won 2.1 dribbles per game and recorded 1.5 key passes per game. The dribbling numbers are impressive in their own right, but the key passes are downright excellent for a 20-year-old winger at Burnley.
According to FBRef.com, only 13 players in the league recorded more total key passes than McNeil, and every single one of them was older – Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold was the closest in age.
The England U21 international should be headed for stardom soon.
Norwich City RB Max Aarons
There are so many fantastic right backs in the Premier League, such as Leicester City’s Ricardo Pereira and Manchester United’s Aron Wan-Bissaka, but Norwich City’s Max Aarons should also be mentioned alongside Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold as a great young player at the position.
Though center back Ben Godfrey, who completed nearly 90 percent of his passes last season and outpaced Aarons in interceptions and clearances per 90 minutes, merited serious consideration here, it was hard not to be swayed by Aarons’ resume.
Two years younger than Godfrey, the 20-year-old Aarons offers versatility at left back and is already Norwich’s most valuable player. He ranked among the top 10 players in the Premier League in total shots blocked and made fewer mistakes on the defensive end than Godfrey.
His value will only increase going forward, and he could entrench himself as one of the league’s top right backs in 2020-21.
Leicester City CM Hamza Choudhury
Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans aren’t the only young center midfielders on Leicester City to watch closely in 2020-21, though they are more well-known. Premier League fans should also keep an eye on England international Hamza Choudhury, who has all the tools to be one of the country’s best top-flight defensive midfielders.
Choudhury played in only 782 minutes before the season was halted but still made his presence felt with 1.1 tackles per game and a whopping 1.4 interceptions per game. Only Bournemouth’s Diego Rico and teammate Ndidi averaged more interceptions per 90 minutes than Choudhury, who also completed a crisp 86.8 percent of his passes.
Leicester have a bevy of exciting young players, but count Choudhury among them. He should take another step forward in 2020-21.