Summary: The most gifted English youngsters in football have been identified and graded.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, aged 18, has broken into Arsenal’s first squad and has already been capped by England.
Lewis Miley and Ethan Nwaneri are talented young midfielders who are poised for success in the Premier League.
Out with the old, in with the new is a well-known expression. With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo nearing the conclusion of their individual careers, fans will be wondering who the sport’s future stars will be.
Several kids are waiting in the wings for their chance at senior action, and a few are already establishing a name for themselves. Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Garnacho, and Gavi are among the sport’s top young players right now.
Right now, many scouts will be looking for the next Harry Kane or Bukayo Saka. It’s fair to assume that England has produced many outstanding young people throughout the years, but who are the country’s top teens right now?
16-11
Before we get into the top ten, let’s look at some English teens that missed out. Chelsea’s 19-year-old Josh Acheampong has impressed in west London, making 15 appearances for Enzo Maresca. Fulham youngster Josh King, 18, is next in 15th place.
Oliver Scarles came up via West Ham United’s academy, which has produced stars such as Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand. He spent three years with Chelsea from 2014 to 2017, but it was at West Ham that he established himself as one of the best English youths.
Tyrique George and Mikey Moore, despite their talent, do not make the top ten. Manchester United left-back Harry Amass is only 18 years old, but he has tried to take advantage of Luke Shaw’s terrible injury record. Unfortunately, he is the 11th best English youngster in world football.
10Ayden Heaven (Manchester United)
Manchester United have had little luck with transfers in recent years, but Ayden Heaven’s move from Arsenal can be regarded a wise decision by the Red Devils’ boardroom managers, given that he cost roughly £1 million. He moved from Arsenal to Manchester United in the same summer as Chido Obi, arriving at Old Trafford with little fanfare.
Despite his young age of 18, Heaven frequently lined up with Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro in his employers’ three-man defensive line last season, and this is expected to continue this season. The London-born talent, who has twice represented England at the Under-20 level, has a very promising future.
9Max Dowman (Arsenal)
Arsenal’s academy, Hale End, is widely regarded as one of the best in Premier League history, and it has produced another world-beating prodigy in Max Dowman, who thrived in the club’s Under-18 divisions before being given a chance to impress boss Mikel Arteta in senior action. Dowman, who is only 15 years old, has a long football career ahead of him.
The fact that he was one of Arsenal’s greatest performers on their 2025/26 pre-season tour demonstrates his total talent at such a young age; and this season might be Dowman’s, especially with his feints and trickery providing the north Londoners with an entirely new outlet off the bench.
8Chris Rigg (Sunderland)
Chris Rigg, freshly promoted Sunderland, may have a youth even more gifted than previous teammate Jobe Bellingham on their roster. Making his Sunderland debut at the age of 15, he became the second-youngest player in the club’s history, after only Derek Forster. The midfielder appears to be one of the Black Cats’ major players in the future.
Rigg, who is still only 18, is rapidly establishing himself as a major player in the senior squad, and he caught the attention with the match-winning goal against Middlesbrough in May 2024, which is one of his most memorable moments in Sunderland colours. If the Englishman, who was born in Hebburn, maintains on his current track, he could soon be playing for a greater team.
7Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool)
Rio Ngumoha’s name was recently in the spotlight when he scored the last-gasp winner in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory over Newcastle United – and the youngster, who demonstrated composure far beyond his years in the 100th minute, is expected to be crucial in Arne Slot’s plans in the future, especially after the Merseyside club allowed Luis Diaz to join Bayern Munich in the summer.
It seems weird that Ngumoha, who was formerly on Chelsea’s academy roster, scored such a vital goal in his Premier League debut, but it simply goes to show that he has the talent to play for one of England’s largest and greatest teams. One thing is certain: the boy possesses remarkable talent.
6Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
While his older brother, Ballon d’Or nominee Jude, has established himself as one of the most exciting footballers in the sport in recent years, Jobe Bellingham appears to be on track to follow in his footsteps and carve out a successful career for himself. The younger sibling, who is 19 years old, impressed for Sunderland and was then offered a transfer to German club Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham is primarily employed as a central midfielder, but he can also go as far forward as possible. The sky is the limit for Jobe, and a successful season in Germany might result in a major move to a prominent Premier League club. Furthermore, he could meet up with his older brother in the Spanish capital. For the time being, Bellingham’s primary goal will be to succeed under Niko Kovac.
5Lewis Miley (Newcastle United)
Before the start of the 2023/24 season, few people would have recognized the name Lewis Miley, but things changed rapidly following the center midfielder’s debut season in the northeast. The Englishman joined Newcastle United’s academy when he was seven years old and made his Premier League debut in May 2023, making him the Magpies’ youngest-ever player. He is now 19 years old and is regarded as a promising youngster.
Miley, who was already playing for England’s Under-20s at the age of 18, is set for a great career. Unfortunately, a back injury has kept him out of action so far this season, but he’ll undoubtedly play an important role in Eddie Howe’s plans once he’s fully recovered. Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are regulars in Newcastle’s midfield, but Miley will hope to gain more influence as time goes on.
4Tyler Dibling (Everton)
Tyler Dibling, who is now on Everton’s roster following a high-profile summer transfer, once went viral for scoring an unbelievable hat-trick of nearly similar goals for the Southampton youth squad. His exploits were discovered by none other than Chelsea, who took a risk on his skill and signed him, but he was unable to adapt in West London and returned to the south coast just months later.
That appears to have been an excellent decision for his development. Still only 19, the dangerous wide player established himself as a regular starter for Southampton in England’s top flight in 2024/25, and his performances for the now-championship side won him a move to David Moyes’ Everton this summer. It remains to be seen whether the Exeter-born winger can move up the list further.
3Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur)
Archie Gray is the grandson of Leeds United star Frank Gray and Eddie Gray’s great-nephew, therefore he hails from pure Leeds football royalty. Despite this, after impressing with the then-Championship club, he departed West Yorkshire and signed a £40 million deal with Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2024, and the Durham-born midfielder has since made just shy of a half-century of appearances since relocating to the north of the English capital.
While it is still early days for the promising youth, given the battle for spots in Spurs’ engine room, the 19-year-old Englishman appears to be a crucial figure for the north London club in the near future. Tuchel, who has yet to be capped on the senior international stage, will be keeping an eye on his performances in the near future, especially after being linked with a move to Real Madrid in January.
2Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
If Ethan Nwaneri lives up to the expectation, the 18-year-old has every possibility of becoming a great England star in the future under Thomas Tuchel’s management. He made his Arsenal debut at the age of 15 years and 181 days, making him the youngest player to ever play in the Premier League – and with his natural talent, things look set to go much better for the offensive midfielder.
Some speculated that it was simply a PR trick by Mikel Arteta, but they are already being made to seem silly. The 18-year-old gained acclaim and received rave reviews in his debut competitive start for the club, and he has since scored 11 goals in 40 outings. The Englishman, who just extended his contract at Emirates Stadium, will face stiff competition for his position from Martin Odegaard and the aforementioned Dowman.
1Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)
Myles Lewis-Skelly made headlines before ever kicking a competitive ball as a senior Arsenal player, picking up a yellow card as a substitute in a tense 2-2 draw against Manchester City. He later came on in that game and made his League Cup debut against Bolton a few days later. Since then, the Englishman has grown from strength to strength, establishing himself as one of the division’s greatest full-backs.
Despite coming through the Hale End system as a midfielder, Lewis-Skelly has spent the majority of his time on the left side of Mikel Arteta’s defense line. Long regarded as a star talent developing at Arsenal, the 19-year-old is destined for a successful career at the highest level, both domestically and internationally. Last season, he appeared 42 times in all competitions for his hometown club, which is incredibly impressive for a player his age.
The 16 best English teenage footballers
Rank
Player
Club
Age
1.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Arsenal
18
2.
Ethan Nwangeri
Arsenal
18
3.
Archie Gray
Tottenham Hotspur
19
4.
Tyler Dibling
Everton
19
5.
Lewis Miley
Newcastle United
19
6.
Jobe Bellingham
Borussia Dortmund
19
7.
Rio ngumoha
Liverpool
16
8.
Chris Rigg
Sunderland
17
9.
Max Dowman
Arsenal
19
10.
Ayden’s Heaven
Manchester United
18
11.
Harry Amass
Manchester United
18
12.
Mikey Moore
Tottenham Hotspur
18
13.
Tyrique George
Chelsea
19
14.
Oliver Scarles
West Ham United
19
15.
Josh King
Fulham
18
16.
Joshua Acheampong
Chelsea
19
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