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No matter how old a player is, making a Premier League debut is a seismic moment in anybody’s career.
The cut throat nature of academy football in the UK means that thousands of players fall by the wayside, with just a handful of spots available at Premier League clubs for young players coming through the system.
For some however, progression through the academy system is seamless and they are accelerated into the first team picture, normally with a big reputation to fulfil.
Many EPL betting sites and punters remain across all of the latest happenings in terms of when players make their debuts in England’s top division yet being a debut at a young age, doesn’t guarantee a successful career ahead.
Premier League icons such as Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere made their debuts firmly in their teenage years but neither make this list of the top 10 youngest Premier League debutants.
10. Reece Oxford – West Ham United
16 Years, 7 Months & 24 Days
Slavan Bilic sprung a significant surprise on his team sheet on the opening day of the 2015/16 Premier League season, as he named Reece Oxford in the heart of his West Ham midfield.
The youngster was a product of the prolific West Ham academy and had played a huge amount of age-group football for England but, he was seriously thrown into the deep end against Arsenal.
Luckily for Bilic and Oxford, West Ham managed to pick up all three points against Arsenal that day, however, it proved to be a bit of a false dawn for Oxford with the Hammers.
He only went on to make 8 appearances for his boyhood club, before moving on to German side Augsburg, where he has continued to battle with injuries in the Bundesliga.
9. Gary McSheffrey – Coventry
16 Years, 6 Months & 14 Days
Local hero Gary McSheffrey came through the ranks at Coventry City with great fanfare and he made his debut in the Premier League as a 16-year old prodigy in 1999.
McSheffrey operated with pace and guile for the Sky Blues, where he and the club endured a mixed few seasons in and around the Premier League.
He struggled to make an impact in his first couple of seasons at Highfield Road but went onto score over 50 goals for the club in all competitions, none of which came in the Premier League though.
McSheffrey would have to wait until 2007 for his first Premier League goal, which he netted for Birmingham City, but he holds his place in the annuls of the Premier League’s youngest players.
8. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – Aston Villa
16 Years, 6 Months & 14 Days
Remarkably, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy made his debut at the exact age as Gary McSheffrey, when he did so for Aston Villa at Sunderland.
Another highly tracked and touted youngster, Hepburn-Murphy made plenty of waves through the youth teams at Villa Park, before making his first team debut in 2015.
Things didn’t work out for Hepburn-Murphy in the Midlands, as he made only one more EPL appearance, but he now plies his trade at MK Dons in League Two, having enjoyed a good season at Crawley Town last term.
7. Jose Baxter – Everton
16 Years, 6 Months & 9 Days
Not since Wayne Rooney had Everton seen a talent on the level of Jose Baxter and he was touted to be the next big name in English football.
An all-action central midfielder, who had the capacity to contribute at both ends of the pitch, Baxter looked destined to big things at Goodison Park.
He made his debut for the Toffees on the opening day of the 2008/09 campaign but endured a career blighted by injury.
At Sheffield United, Baxter enjoyed his most influential spell, contributing hugely to their three seasons in League One but he was never able to maintain his fitness levels and he retired from the game in 2020, aged just 28.
6. Aaron Lennon – Leeds United
16 Years, 4 Months & 7 Days
With speed to burn, Aaron Lennon had always been considered one of the most precocious talents in English football and he went on to enjoy a stellar career after his primitive debut.
Lennon cut his teeth at Leeds before moving to Tottenham, where he played over 250 Premier League games for the club, contributing hugely to a successful spell at Spurs.
Having lifted the League Cup with Spurs in 2008, Lennon went on to enjoy a very good decade at White Hart Lane, before leaving to join Everton and Burnley.
Aaron Lennon ended his career with over 400 EPL games played, as well as 21 England caps and he built superbly on the promise shown as a young player.
5. Izzy Brown – West Bromwich Albion
16 Years, 3 Months & 27 Days
Few English talents over the past decade have carried as much hype as Izzy Brown, who broke into the West Bromwich Albion first team picture as a teenager.
Following his debut, Brown was snapped up by Chelsea, who hoped they could cultivate his career in the Premier League and for England.
However, injuries caught up with Brown, who had impactful loan spells at big clubs such as Brighton and Leeds United, but he struggled to stay fit – having to step away from the game at the age of just 26.
4. Matthew Briggs – Fulham
16 Years, 2 Months & 7 Days
Fulham have a rich history of producing very good young players and Matthew Briggs was the next cab off the rank back in 2007.
The left-back enjoyed huge success in the youth ranks at Craven Cottage and was handed his EPL debut aged just 16 – becoming the youngest ever Premier League player at the time.
A journeyman career followed for Briggs, who played for over 10 professional clubs, racking up 200+ appearances, before hanging up his boots in 2023.
3. Harvey Elliott – Fulham
16 Years, 1 Month & 0 Days
Liverpool starlet Harvey Elliott has been a key part in their recent success under Arne Slot, but it was at Fulham where he too made his name.
It is hard to fathom that as of 2025, Elliott is only 22 years of age, such is the amount of top level football he has played in his career.
Craven Cottage was his home as a youngster and Elliott made his first EPL appearance against Wolves, just after his 16th birthday and a move to Liverpool soon followed.
He won the Premier League title at Anfield in 2024/25 and looks set to have a bright future ahead of him.
2. Jeremy Monga – Leicester City
15 Years, 8 Months & 28 Days
The 2024/25 Premier League season was one to forget for Leicester City, but the emergence of Jeremy Monga could prove to be a glimmer of hope that has come from the campaign.
Ruud van Nistelrooy saw a huge amount of potential in the academy graduate and has given him a chance to showcase his talent in the first team.
As Monga and the Foxes drop back down to the Championship, it will be interesting to see if he can make an impact at the King Power Stadium.
1. Ethan Nwaneri – Arsenal
15 Years, 5 Months & 28 Days
The talent of Ethan Nwaneri now feels commonplace in the Premier League, but he smashed the all-time EPL record for the youngest ever player back in September 2022.
Arsenal have evolved into a real force under the spending power and stewardship of Mikel Arteta and Nwaneri looks to be a huge part of their future and he has etched his name into the EPL history books forever.
