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7 of the Premier League's youngest debutants and how their careers panned out


Jude Bellingham is arguably the most sought-after teenager in world football right now, with Manchester United and Chelsea among a host of clubs chasing down his signature.

At just 16-years-old Bellingham is a special talent, but he is not the first youngster to be plucked from the academy and set on the fast-track towards stardom.

If Bellingham is to swap Birmingham City for one of the Premier League’s big hitters, then he will join a select group of teenage wonderkids to make their top-flight bow.

Much promise and potential has passed through the doors of some of English football’s most prestigious clubs but not every rising talent has gone on to be a roaring success.

Here we take a look at seven players who have the honour of being their club’s youngest ever Premier League debutant.

Manchester United: Angel Gomes – 16 years and 263 days

Angel Gomes has yet to nail down a regular place in the starting line-up for Manchester United

With all the talk surrounding Bellingham and the Red Devils, it seems only right to kick off the list with United’s youngest ever top-flight player.

Angel Gomes’ landmark moment came as he stepped off the bench to replace Wayne Rooney in the final minutes of a 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace in 2017.

And in doing so, the 16-year-old also became the first player born in the 2000s to ever appear in the Premier League.

In truth, Gomes is yet to make his mark at Old Trafford, having only made five first-team appearances for the Reds.

But he is still only 19, so the highly-rated midfielder has plenty of time to fulfil his potential.

Chelsea: Jody Morris – 17 years and 43 days

Jody Morris celebrates a goal in 2000

These days Morris assists Blues boss Frank Lampard in overseeing Chelsea’s youth revolution but once upon a time, he was the prodigal son at Stamford Bridge.

Shortly after his 17th birthday, a fresh-faced Morris made his Premier League debut in a home game against Middlesbrough in 1996.

The season after he would go on to win the club’s Young Player of the Year award but the early encouragement soon faded and Morris was eclipsed by foreign superstars Didier Deschamps and Gus Poyet.

After a seven-year stay at Chelsea, the midfielder spent a year at Leeds, then flirted with the lower leagues before returning to the Bridge as a coach, eventually taking up his current role with the first team.

Arsenal: Jack Wilshere – 16 years and 256 days

A young Jack Wilshere celebrates a goal for the Gunners

Replacing Robin Van Persie as an 84th-minute substitute away at Blackburn, Wilshere had the world at his feet but an injury-ravaged career has restricted him.

“He could have been phenomenal. It’s very sad with Jack,” said Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, when commenting on Wilshere’s serial struggles with injury.

In the early stages of his career, Wilshere looked odds on to set the world alight, he was named PFA Young Player of the Year and selected in the PFA Team of the Year in 2011.

Even Barcelona great Xavi tipped Wilshere to be “the future” of English football. However, in spite of such promise, the midfielder failed to kick on and he left the Gunners for West Ham in 2018.

Liverpool: Jack Robinson – 16 years and 250 days

Jack Robinson never managed to live up to his potential at Liverpool

A full-back bursting onto the scene at Anfield, now that does sound familiar. But before the sight of a marauding Trent Alexander Arnold became the norm, there was Jack Robinson.

At just 16-years-old Robinson was thrust into the limelight as a replacement for the injured Fabio Aurelio in a 1-1 draw away to Arsenal in 2011.

The left-back earned rave reviews that day and a week later, he was named in the Reds starting line-up against Birmingham City.

But it proved to be a flash in the pan for Robinson who would only make three first-team league appearances in four years for the Reds before moving to QPR in 2014.

Man City: Micah Richards – 17 years and 119 days

Micah Richards
Micah Richards was once one of the brightest young defenders in the country

One of the pre-Etihad era, the defender rose through City’s youth ranks and having shone in the academy was handed his debut in a 1-0 defeat away at Arsenal in 2005.

Before the glory days of Sheikh Mansour, Richards battled with Danny Mills and Nedum Onuoha for the right-back berth at City.

A contest which he won, chalking up 179 appearances for the club, and playing an integral part in City’s 2011-12 Premier League title triumph.

However, injury restricted him the year after and Pablo Zabaleta stole his spot in the team. Richards never recovered from that and was released by the club in 2015.

Tottenham: Stephen Carr 17 years and 27 days

Stephen Carr spent 11 years at Tottenham

It may be hard to believe, given his hard-nosed exterior, but Carr was once a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed teenager, waiting for his opportunity to impress at Tottenham.

That chance came at just 17-years-old when he made his Spurs debut away to Ipswich in 1993, but it wasn’t until the following season that he cemented his first-team place.

During his 11 years with the club, not only did Carr become a true Tottenham great but also established himself as a Premier League legend.

The defender racked up 226 appearances for the Lilywhites before ending his career with impressive spells at Newcastle and Birmingham. He also played 44 times for the Republic of Ireland.

Leicester City Emile Heskey – 17 years and 55 days

Emile Heskey of Leicester City
Emile Heskey began his career with the Foxes

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Despite Heskey only being 17-years-old and a first-year trainee, then Foxes boss Mark McGhee had enough faith to award him his debut against QPR in 1995.

Leicester were relegated that same season but Martin O’Neill guided them to an immediate return to the top flight and Heskey bagged 10 goals in his first full Premier League campaign.

It made him the club’s top scorer and he soon formed a formidable partnership with Tony Cottee, which helped fire the Foxes to League Cup glory in 2000.

That would be Heskey’s crowing moment in a Leicester shirt as Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool came calling and the forward made the switch to Anfield.

Heskey went on to have an impressive career for both club and country. He notched over 100 top-flight goals and earned 62 England caps, scoring seven times.





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