Youngsters at Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs have thrilled in India – but how far are they from making a first-team impact? The experts at Youth Hawk tell us
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Curtis Anderson (Man City)
The Cheshire-born keeper caught the eye with his maniacal performance in the last-16 penalty shootout win over Japan as he saved, scored and goaded en route to victory.
Despite keeping six clean sheets in 13 tournament games this year, Anderson mainly featured as an understudy for City’s U18s before departing for India, so will return to Manchester with a first aim of establishing himself as No.1 with the Etihad youngsters.
Steven Sessegnon (Fulham)
Only two of the 14 players who featured in the final for England have played more than five minutes of senior competitive football at club level and, unsurprisingly, both represent Championship sides.
While twin brother Ryan Sessegnon has established himself as a regular at Craven Cottage, Steven’s trajectory has been less steep but no less encouraging. After forcing his way into England manager Steve Cooper’s first XI at the tournament and assisting two goals in the final, the full-back could soon be knocking on the door of Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic, whose side have struggled to maintain their promotion ambitions.
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Marc Guehi (Chelsea)
An ever-present in India, Guehi and his Chelsea U18 team-mates have made lifting trophies a regular habit in 2017. However, the defender’s pathway to the first team at Stamford Bridge remains a long and obstacle-filled one; he still awaits his U23s debut and is probably 18 months away from a maiden loan move.
Jonathan Panzo (Chelsea)
Still only 16, the left-back has long been admired at the FA but is yet to make a consistent impression for the Blues – albeit only three months into his first year as a scholar. His athleticism and composure in possession will stand him in good stead, but there’s still plenty of work to do before he's able to stand out from the crowd of impressive young Englishmen at Stamford Bridge.
Joel Latibeaudiere (Man City)
One of England’s best performers at the tournament, Latibeaudiere has captained City’s PL2 side this term and was voted their Academy Player of the Year last season – evidence of the 17-year-old’s positive development in the north-west.
While Pep Guardiola’s table-topping side might seem a daunting one for any teenager to break into, central defence is perhaps one area that could be targeted – though expect Latibeaudiere to spend some time on loan first.
George McEachran (Chelsea)
He may be the same age now as when older brother Josh made his first-team debut for the Blues in 2010, but 17-year-old George McEachran remains some way off competing with N’Golo Kante or Tiemoue Bakayoko for a place in Antonio Conte’s midfield. His slight build and metronomic control of games may be better suited to European football than the Premier League, so a temporary spell with Vitesse could actually work well once he’s mastered U23s football with the Blues.
Tashan Oakley-Boothe (Tottenham)
If any of these World Cup winners could handpick a manager to develop under over the coming years, Mauricio Pochettino would be high on the list. The Argentine has done more for developing young English talent than most during his five years at Southampton then Tottenham, so Oakley-Boothe is in a good place at Spurs. He'll have to bypass Harry Winks and Josh Onomah in the queue for midfield opportunities first, though.
Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolves)
The midfielder’s 192 minutes of football in 2016/17 account for over half the senior game time of those who featured in the final, though Gibbs-White has not been seen at Molineux this season due to an injury which kept him out of club football ahead of the U17 World Cup.
Success at the tournament has boosted his profile, but Wolves sit top of the Championship, so breaking into the first team will be no easy task. Expect more PL2 football and perhaps a Football League loan in January for the scorer of England’s equaliser against Spain in the final.
Phil Foden (Man City)
Player of the tournament in India and already the apple of Pep Guardiola’s eye, Foden is in a pretty good place to be nurtured and slowly integrated into the Manchester City first team. Whether it’s deemed he needs to cut his teeth with a loan move first – perhaps a spell at one of City’s extensive global network of partner clubs – remains to be seen, but a senior debut is surely only a matter of weeks away.
In the long term, competing with the likes of David Silva might appear a daunting task but the Stockport starlet could be the natural heir to a man who turns 32 in January.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea)
2017 FA Youth Cup Final: one goal, one assist, winner. 2017 European U17 Championship Final: one goal, runner-up. 2017 U17 World Cup Final: two assists, winner. Hudson-Odoi has stepped up to prove his worth as a big-game player for club and country this year, his dazzling footwork and endless creativity catching the eye of all those who've seen him in action.
Already one of the stand-outs in Chelsea’s U23s, the 16-year-old now has to negotiate the tricky late teenage years in SW6. Following Tammy Abraham’s blueprint to reach the Premier League might not be a bad idea, so a Championship loan in the next two windows looks a good bet.
Rhian Brewster (Liverpool)
Eight goals at a World Cup finals will always stand you out from the crowd, and Brewster’s predatory instincts have got those at Anfield very excited indeed. His next challenge is to get the serious attention of Jurgen Klopp, and scoring goals for Liverpool’s table-topping PL2 side is the best way to do that.
The young Reds had won six from six before Brewster’s departure to India, with the 17-year-old netting on three occasions. In the three games since, they’ve lost twice. If he keeps up his goalscoring form, Klopp’s romanticism could lead to a debut for the teenager before the year is out.
Nya Kirby (Crystal Palace)
Despite something of a crisis blowing up at Selhurst Park this season, a threadbare squad struggling with injuries and abysmal form, Kirby has yet to find himself in a matchday squad for Palace.
The midfielder featured mostly from the bench for the young Lions in India and will probably be forced to settle for a return to U23 football with his club, though playing alongside counterparts from Colchester, Crewe and Millwall is hardly elite development for the former Tottenham teenager.
Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)
A dependable go-to for Cooper in the latter stages of games at the tournament, Gallagher had not represented his country at any age group before his surprise inclusion in the travelling group to India. His club form has been mixed, with time mostly spent in the youth team, and he has plenty to improve before advancing towards the senior game.
Angel Gomes (Man United)
Jose Mourinho anointed him flavour of the month last May, handing the then-16-year-old a cameo against Crystal Palace and placing him in the record books as the first player born in the 21st century to play Premier League football. But history tells us Mourinho teenage debuts are worth little more than the paper the team sheet is written on (ask Anthony Grant, Steven Watt and Jimmy Smith).
Gomes may feel he has something to prove after losing his place in Cooper’s starting team, and his first task will be breaking into Ricky Sbragia’s reserves upon his return to Carrington.
