Where are they now? The 10 youngest debutants in Premier League history

Current Arsenal, Liverpool and Leicester City stars are among the 10 youngest debutants in Premier League history.

While most players tend to make their senior breakthrough after celebrating their 18th birthday, the players on this list broke through at a considerably younger age.

We’ve taken a closer look at the record books and have found the 10 youngest debutants in Premier League history and have checked out where they all are today.

10. Reece Oxford (16 years, 7 months, 24 days)

After rising through the ranks at West Ham, Oxford was handed his Premier League debut in August 2015 by Slaven Bilic.

The hype levels quickly went into overdrive as the 16-year-old made 12 senior appearances for the club during his debut season.

He then spent the following few years out on loan, but by this point, injuries had started to disrupt his development.

Oxford eventually left West Ham in 2019 and joined Bundesliga outfit FC Augsburg, where he still plays today.

However, the 26-year-old hasn’t played much in recent seasons because of muscular and fitness problems.

=8. Gary McSheffrey (16 years, 6 months, 14 days)

Upon making his Premier League debut for Coventry in 1999, McSheffrey became the youngest player in the competition’s history.

He held that record for over four years until a certain Leeds United winger popped up on the scene.

McSheffrey went on to enjoy a successful career, predominantly bouncing between the Premier League and Championship before he retired in 2020.

These days, he’s working at Sheffield United as their under-21s head coach.

=8. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy (16 years, 6 months, 14 days)

Amazingly, Hepburn-Murphy was the exact same age as McSheffrey when he made his Premier League debut.

After making his debut for Aston Villa in 2015, he went on to make 12 Premier League appearances before he was released.

The forward spent a couple of years playing in Cyprus before returning to England in 2022 to join Swindon Town in League Two.

Now aged 26, he’s currently playing for Crawley Town in League One.

7. Jose Baxter (16 years, 6 months, 9 days)

Baxter joined Everton as a six-year-old and went on to make 15 senior appearances for the club between 2008 and 2012.

He’s perhaps best known for his stint with Sheffield United, where he enjoyed the peak years of his career in League One.

Following short spells with Oldham Athletic, Plymouth Argyle and Memphis 901, the attacking midfielder announced his retirement in 2021, aged 29.

6. Aaron Lennon (16 years, 4 months, 7 days)

Having racked up over 400 Premier League appearances, Lennon has played more top-flight games than anyone else on this list.

After breaking through at Leeds United as a teenager, Tottenham snapped him up in 2005 and the rest is history.

The tricky winger spent the last year of his career playing with Burnley and retired at the end of the 2021–22 campaign.

5. Izzy Brown (16 years, 3 months, 27 days)

Big things were expected of Brown after he made his Premier League debut for West Brom, aged 16.

Chelsea promptly snapped him up in 2013 and the creative midfielder then spent the bulk of his career out on loan at various clubs.

He eventually left Chelsea in 2021 to join Championship outfit Preston North End, but after suffering an ACL injury in pre-season, he never made a competitive appearance for the club.

After spending the entire 2021-22 season on the sidelines, Brown eventually called it quits on his playing career, citing injury problems as the main reason.

4. Matthew Briggs (16 years, 2 months, 7 days)

After making his senior debut for Fulham at 16, Briggs became quite the journeyman.

In total, the full-back played for 16 different clubs throughout his career, ranging from the Premier League down to non-league.

He spent the last month of his career playing for Horsham in the Isthmian League and retired from professional football in 2023.

3. Harvey Elliott (16 years, 1 month, 0 days)

Having already racked up 88 Premier League appearances, it’s easy to forget just how young Elliott still is.

After making his breakthrough at Fulham, Liverpool snapped him up in 2019 and the rest is history.

A broken foot saw the 22-year-old sidelined for a chunk of this season, but there’s no doubt that he still ranks among the most promising players in the Premier League.

READ: Where are they now? The nine 16-year-olds to debut for Liverpool

2. Jeremy Monga (15 years, 8 months 28 days)

Monga came on as a second-half substitute for Leicester City during their latest defeat against Newcastle.

Aged just 15 years and eight months old, he subsequently became the second youngest ever player to make his Premier League debut.

“You could see glimpses of his great qualities,” Van Nistelrooy said after the game.

“He’s a great winger and has speed. He’s a fantastic talent, a great boy. He deserved these minutes and hopefully, more to come.”

1. Ethan Nwaneri (15 years, 5 months, 28 days)

After being handed his senior debut back in 2022, Nwaneri still holds the record as the youngest-ever debutant in Premier League history.

Now aged 18, the teenager has continued to develop under Mikel Arteta and he’s become a worthy understudy to Bukayo Saka.

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