The League Cup is often seen by managers as a chance to blood in promising young talent and that was certainly the case this week.
Indeed, with the intensity and results-based demands of the Premier League seeing opportunities become slimmer and slimmer for young players over the last decade, starlets are increasingly dependent on the cup competitions to pick up some experience with the first-team squad.
Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino both fielded sides almost entirely composed of teenagers during Liverpool and Tottenham’s clash on Tuesday night, whilst Pep Guardiola dished out a few outings to Man City’s younger starlets on Wednesday and Arsene Wenger maintained his tradition of using the competition as a sink-or-swim exercise.
So, did we see some of the stars of the future in action this week? Who could be due some Premier League action after impressing their manager? We at FootballFanCast don’t have an all-seeing crystal ball, but here’s a look at the FIVE youngsters who caught our eye.
Aleix Garcia
It was by no means a scintillating display from Aleix Garcia but nonetheless he was about as Guardiola-esque as it gets against Manchester United. The diminutive playmaker made a staggering 90 passes in central midfield, with a completion rate of 94.4%, and also created one scoring opportunity.
It was a solid contribution from the 19-year-old, who seemingly fits Guardiola’s philosophy perfectly, and we’re expecting to see him more frequently as the season goes on – especially if City suffer a few injuries in the middle of the park.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
In a heavily rotated Liverpool starting XI, perhaps the biggest shock was the inclusion of Alexander-Arnold. Nathaniel Clyne has been ever-present under Jurgen Klopp since his arrival at Anfield and many were expecting the all-energy England international to maintain his place to bring some experience to a youthful side, but he was granted a rest and his absence wasn’t really noticed.
Alexander-Arnold actually started his fledgling career as a central midfielder, but his versatility – which has already drawn tentative comparisons with Steven Gerrard – has seen him earn a senior graduation at right-back.
With burning pace and a desire to fly up and down the wing, he looks well-suited to Klopp’s style of play. His progression will be welcomed by the German, who has few options at right-back to choose from.
Edimilson Fernandes
Summer signing Edimilson Fernandes impressed against Sunderland last weekend, recording three tackles, one created chance and four shots at goal whilst filling in at left wing-back for the suspended Aaron Cresswell.
Cresswell returned to action yesterday evening as the Hammers recorded a 2-1 win over Chelsea, with Fernandes switching to the other flank and producing an arguably superior performance.
Indeed, the Swiss international bagged what proved to be the winner on the 48th minute mark – a huge contribution for a 20-year-old in just his second start at a new club. It looks like the Irons have a real talent on their hands.
Ovie Ejaria
Arguably the star of Liverpool’s pre-season, many were tipping Ejaria for a role this campaign. Prior to the Spurs game, his only competitive minutes came in the previous round of the EFL Cup against Derby as a sub, so his inclusion in the XI on Tuesday was greeted with excitement.
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The 18-year-old central midfielder impressed, too, with his energy and physicality well-suited to the 4-4-2 diamond Klopp opted for. However, it was his technical prowess that hinted more game time will be on the cards – Tony Barrett, writing for Joe.co.uk, has even revealed the Reds’ Brazilian stars have been wowed by his ability.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Arsenal have a history of using the League Cup to offer youngsters a slot in the senior set-up, and Maitland-Niles, among others, benefitted on Tuesday evening.
he attacking midfielder was given the unenviable task of being Mesut Ozil’ stand-in, and produced a strong performance as the No.10, playing the full 90 minutes at the Emirates Stadium.
A route into the XI on a regular basis appears cluttered, but Maitland-Niles did himself no harm this week.