Young Guns of 2011/12? Five Premier League Rising Stars for Next Season

Last season saw the rise to prominence of several young stars in England’s top flight as youth was given more of a chance throughout the Premier League. The likes of Jack Wilshere cemented his place alongside Alex Song in Arsenal’s central midfield, while at champions Man United, Javier Hernandez took the division by storm, with the Mexican’s clinical finishing demoting Dimitar Berbatov to role of bench-warmer.

Further north, Andy Carroll’s towering performances for Newcastle saw Liverpool snap him up in the hit man for £35m in January and, on Wearside, Jordan Henderson’s displays at Sunderland have subsequently earned him a summer move to Anfield.

With this in mind, what youngsters can we expect to follow suit and establish themselves as real presences in the Premier League this upcoming season? We look at five players, all 21 or under, who could follow the lead of Hernandez and co and considerably raise their profiles in 2011/12:


David “Junior” Hoilett
The Canadian grabbed his first Blackburn start in November last season and ultimately played 24 times for Blackburn, with 17 of those appearances coming from the start. Having just turned 21 last month, Hoilett can play on the wing, behind the strikers or as a forward, with his skill on the ball and ability to beat a man a particular stand-out.

He was joint-top scorer for Rovers, with 5 goals; averaging 1 shot per game, this works out at 1 goal per 4.8 shots, an impressive level of finishing. Hoilett’s made 2.1 successful dribbles per game- put into perspective, Carlos Tevez made 2, and the likes of Florent Malouda and Antonio Valencia made 1.5 each, despite playing in far more attacking sides.

Hoilett’s distribution was 76%, the second-highest in Steve Kean’s side, behind Brett Emerton (78%), and his work rate was also impressive- 1.6 tackles per game was even higher than Rovers’ centre-half Chris Samba. Hoilett also made 1.2 interceptions per game and picked up 3 WhoScored.com man of the match awards for his displays. Only Samba (7.10) had a higher match average, with his fellow centre-half Ryan Nelsen tying Hoilett for second with 6.80 per match. If Hoilett gets more starts up front, he should be the man to watch for the Ewood Park outfit.

Martin Kelly
The 21 year-old played twice under Roy Hodgson but the Anfield return of Kenny Dalglish saw Kelly immediately installed in the right-back slot. Kelly started the first eight games of Dalglish’s regime -with the club chalking up four clean sheets- before a hamstring injury at West Ham in late February put paid to his season.

Dalglish has yet to address his problematic left-back area and it may well be that Glen Johnson will play there, with a fit-again Kelly on the opposite flank. A look at Kelly’s stats highlight just how strong he is at the back; he made 3.5 tackles per game, second only to Lucas (5.2).

Johnson beats Kelly by 1.7 interceptions to 0.8, but made only 2.5 tackles in comparison. Kelly was also far superior when it came to clearances, with 5.5 to Johnson’s 2.9. Although he made far more challenges per game, Kelly only made 0.5 fouls per game to Johnson’s 0.9.

Going forward, Kelly was almost on a par with Johnson (0.8 to 0.9) for key passes and delivered more crosses on average, 0.7 to 0.5. 

Kyle Walker
Another right-back on our list, 21-year-old Walker excelled during a loan spell at Aston Villa. Back at parent club Tottenham this season, the signs are looking good for Walker to nail down a first-team slot at White Hart Lane. He made 15 appearances for Villa last season, picking up 1 goal and 3 assists and is more of an attack-minded player than Kelly.

Solid at the back, he made 2.7 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3.3 clearances per game- compare this to Alan Hutton, Spurs most-used right-back, with 2.3, 1.4 and 3.2 respectively, Walker is the better in all three key defensive categories. He’s also great in the air, winning 60% of aerial duels.

Going forward, Walker was equally impressive- he made 1.7 successful dribbles per game, more than any Villa player and more than the likes of Aaron Lennon at Spurs, on 1.6. He also made 1 key pass and 0.7 crosses per game, adding plenty of impetus to the Villa attacks and with 77% pass accuracy, also proved comfortable in possession.

Marc Albrighton
The right winger had a great start for Aston Villa last season but found himself sidelined as the season progressed as Gerard Houllier turned to more experienced heads with the club struggling to get points on the board. With Ashley Young and Stewart Downing both leaving this summer, however, Albrighton looks set to make the position his own this season under new boss Alex McLeish.

Albrighton offered Villa much more defensive graft than both Young and Downing last term- he made 2.3 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game, compared to Downing (1 & 1.7) and Young, with 0.9 and 1 respectively, his number of challenges were considerably higher. McLeish likes his wide men to offer plenty of industry and Albrighton’s stats definitely fit the bill.

With 1.3 successful dribbles on average, his ability to beat an opponent was also greater than the other two wide men combined- Downing managed 0.7 and Young 0.5. Albrighton grabbed 5 goals and 4 assists in total, averaging 1.1 shots and 1.2 key passes per game. His 1.2 crosses and 72% pass accuracy (the latter identical to Young) saw Albrighton’s game impress across all areas and, given the chance by Big Eck, the 21 year old should become a mainstay in the Villa first XI.

Victor Moses
With Charles N’Zogbia linked to the likes of Aston Villa, Everton and Sunderland, a move away from Wigan seems inevitable for the left winger. In the shape of 20-year-old Victor Moses, Roberto Martinez has a ready-made replacement. Moses has been gradually introduced into first-team matters since his move from Crystal Palace a couple of years ago, with last season seeing 13 of his 21 appearances coming as a sub.

An adaptable wide man, Moses’ 8 starts saw him play 4 games as a left winger and 4 on the right. While N’Zogbia made 32 starts, he only made 2 assists more than Moses, with 5 to the youngster’s 3. Moses will need to step up a gear to replicate the stats of N’Zogbia and a comparison with the Frenchman is perhaps unfair here.

Moses’s ability to taken a man on is his main strength- he made 1.3 successful dribbles per game and if N’Zogbia leaves, he’d be the second top here, behind Mohamed Diame on 1.6. With 0.8 shots and 0.8 key passes per game, much of his stats are skewed by the many sub appearances he made but it’s clear Moses has the ability. Defensively, he also made 0.7 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game, but that side of his game is not his strong point.

Moses has also been rumoured to be the subject of a bid from QPR if Adel Taarabt leaves Loftus Road, with old Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock a strong admirer. N’Zogbia’s departure, though, looks like giving Moses a stage for his talents to shine at Wigan and the season ahead looks likely to provide his big breakthrough.

Other to consider…
Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs looks like being Arsenals’ first-choice left-back this season in light of Gael Clichy’s move to Man City but with just 4 starts last season, the 21-year-old’s stats are too minimal to fairly analyse for the purpose of our article. Man United’s 20-year-old keeper David de Gea will play a major part in their season, but similar to 20-year-old Mario Balotelli, his higher profile excludes him from consideration here.

A move for Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona would perhaps offer 20-year-old Aaron Ramsey an opportunity in the Arsenal midfield, though Arsene Wenger has vowed to hold on to his skipper and may even splash the cash in the event of his leaving. Man United’s versatile full-back Fabio should come into the equation more at Old Trafford- the 21-year-old should see more game time following John O’Shea’s transfer to Sunderland and offers cover on both flanks, though he is likely to provide back-up to twin brother, Rafael, and Patrice Evra.

Daniel Sturridge, subject of yesterday’s WhoScored.com Blog, will also play a major part if he earns a loan move but having already come under the microscope, the 21-year-old needs no further analysis here.