Arsenal

Max Dowman (15) and Rio Ngumoha (16) have both shown what ridiculous talents they are in recent times

Published

6 hours ago

August 27, 2025

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16 Best English Teenagers in Football Right Now [Ranked]

Summary

There are a number of extremely talented English teenagers in football right now, and the very best of the best have been ranked.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, just 18 years old, has broken into Arsenal’s first team and has already been capped by England.

Lewis Miley and Ethan Nwaneri are bright young midfielders set for big Premier League careers.

There’s a classic phrase that gets mentioned a lot, out with the old and in with the new. The term fits perfectly in the football world as ,with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo coming to the end of their respective careers, fans will be wondering who the next stars in the sport will be.

Several teenagers are waiting in the wings for their crack at senior action, while there are a fair few who are already making a name for themselves. Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Garnacho and Gavi are some of the best youngsters in the sport at the moment.

Right now, many scouts will already be looking for the next Harry Kane or Bukayo Saka. It’s fair to say that England has produced many talented youngsters over the years, but who are the best teenagers in the country right now?

16-11

Before heading into the top ten, let’s take a look at some English teenagers that missed out. 19-year-old Josh Acheampong of Chelsea, despite his age, has been impressive in west London – earning 15 appearances for Enzo Maresca. Fulham youngster Josh King, 18, is next up in 15th place.

Oliver Scarles is a product of West Ham United’s academy, which has been famed for nurturing the likes of Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand. He enjoyed a three-year stint with Chelsea between 2014 and 2017, but it’s at West Ham where he’s become revered as one of the best English teenagers.

Tyrique George and Mikey Moore, despite the young duo’s respective talent, also don’t quite make the top 10. Harry Amass of Manchester United is only 18 years of age; but the left-back has tried to make the most of Luke Shaw’s poor injury record. Alas, he’s the 11th best English teenager in world football.

10Ayden Heaven (Manchester United)

Manchester United have seldom had luck with transfers in recent years – but Ayden Heaven’s move from Arsenal is one that can be considered a shrewd move by the Red Devils’ boardroom bosses given that he cost around the £1 million mark. He made the Arsenal-Man Utd move in the same summer as Chido Obi and thus arrived at Old Trafford to very little fanfare.

Despite his tender age of 18, however, Heaven often lined up alongside the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro in his employers’ three-man defensive line last season and that is set to be the same case this campaign. A twice-capped England Under-20 international, the London-born star has a very, very bright future.

9Max Dowman (Arsenal)

Widely regarded as one of the best academies in the history of the Premier League, Arsenal’s academy, Hale End, have managed to produce another world-beating star in Max Dowman, who excelled in the club’s Under-18 ranks before getting a shot at impressing boss Mikel Arteta in senior proceedings. At just 15 years of age, Dowman has plenty of years in football ahead of him.

Who is Arsenal’s Teenage Starlet Max Dowman

The fact that he was one of Arsenal’s best performers on their 2025/26 pre-season tour is a testament to his utter brilliance at such a young age; and this season could be Dowman’s, especially with his feints and trickery offering the north Londoners’ an entirely different outlet from the bench.

8Chris Rigg (Sunderland)

In Chris Rigg, newly promoted Sunderland may have a youngster even more talented than former teammate, Jobe Bellingham, on their books. Making his debut as a 15-year-old, becoming the second-youngest player in Sunderland history behind only Derek Forster, the midfielder looks destined to be one of the Black Cats’ key players moving forward.

Still only 18, Rigg is steadily establishing himself as a key man in the senior set-up and caught the eye with the match-winning goal vs rivals Middlesbrough back in May 2024 – which is one of his most notable moments in Sunderland colours. If the Englishman, born in Hebburn, continues on this trajectory of present, he could be playing for a club of a larger stature very, very soon.

7Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool)

It was Rio Ngumoha’s name in the bright lights recently when he netted the last-gasp winner in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Newcastle United – and the youngster, who showed composure far beyond his years in the 100th minute, is set to be vital in Arne Slot’s plans going forward, especially after the Merseyside club allowed Luis Diaz to move to Bayern Munich in the summer.

It seems surreal that Ngumoha, who was previously on Chelsea’s academy books, scored such an important goal on his Premier League debut – but that just proves that he’s got the minerals to play for one of England’s biggest and best clubs. One thing cannot be thrown into doubt and that’s the youngster’s exceptional talent.

6Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)

While his older brother and Ballon d’Or nominee Jude has established himself as one of the most exciting footballers in the sport over the last few years, Jobe Bellingham looks destined to follow in his footsteps and carve out a pretty impressive career of his own. The younger sibling, 19 years of age, largely impressed for Sunderland – and a move to German club Borussia Dortmund then beckoned.

Why Jobe Bellingham Doesn’t Have Surname on Back of His Shirt

Predominately used as a central midfielder, Bellingham can play in a more attacking role, even operating as the furthest man forward. The sky is the limit for Jobe and a successful season in Germany could earn him a big move to a top Premier League side. Even more, he could link up with his older brother in the Spanish capital. For now, Bellingham’s focus will be killing it under Niko Kovac.

5Lewis Miley (Newcastle United)

Before the start of the 2023/24 season, very few would’ve recognised the name Lewis Miley, but that all changed rather quickly after the central midfielder’s debut campaign in the northeast. Joining the Newcastle United academy at the age of seven, the Englishman was handed his debut back in May 2023, becoming the Magpies’ youngest-ever Premier League player. He is now 19 years of age and touted as one for the future.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Lewis Miley became the youngest player to score in the Premier League since Federico Macheda in April 2009 (17 years and 229).

Miley, who was already playing for England’s Under-20s at the age of 18, is destined for an extremely bright future. Sadly, a back injury has kept him sidelined so far in the new campaign, but he’ll likely be a key part in Eddie Howe’s plans once fit again. Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are mainstays in Newcastle’s middle of the park, but Miley will be looking to become more and more influential as the years go by.

4Tyler Dibling (Everton)

Tyler Dibling, now on the books of Everton after a high-profile summer move, once went viral for scoring an incredible hat-trick of near-identical goals for the Southampton youth team. His exploits were spotted by none other Chelsea, who took a chance on his talent and snapped him up but, after being unable to settle in West London, he returned to the south coast just months later.

That appears to have been a good move for his development. Still only 19 years of age, the tricky wide man transformed into a regular starter for Southampton in England’s top flight in 2024/25 – and his displays for the now-Championship side earned a move to David Moyes’ Everton this summer. Whether the Exeter-born winger is able to continue rising up the list remains to be seen.

3Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur)

As the grandson of Leeds United icon Frank Gray and the great-nephew of Eddie Gray, Archie Gray comes from true Leeds footballing royalty. Even so, after impressing with the then-Championship club, he left West Yorkshire and sealed a £40 million move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2024 and the Durham-born midfielder has since racked up just shy of a half-century of outings since moving to the north of the English capital.

While it remains early days for the impressive teenager, given the competition for places in Spurs’ engine room, the 19-year-old Englishman looks set to be a key player for the north Londoners in the near future. Yet to be capped on the senior international stage, Tuchel will keep an eye on his performances in the near future, especially given he was linked with a Real Madrid move in January.

2Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)

If Ethan Nwaneri lives up to the hype, there is every chance that the 18-year-old could be a major England star of the future under the stewardship of Thomas Tuchel. Making his Arsenal debut at just 15 years, 181 days old, he remains the youngest player to ever play in the Premier League – and things are poised to only get better for the attacking midfielder, given his innate talent.

Some suggested that was just a PR stunt by Mikel Arteta, but they are already being made to look foolish. On his first competitive start for the club, the 18-year-old scored praise and earned rave reviews – and he’s since plundered 11 goal involvements in 40 appearances. The Englishman, who recently extended his contract at the Emirates Stadium, faces plenty of competition for his spot, however, from Martin Odegaard and the aforementioned Dowman.

1Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)

Myles Lewis-Skelly actually made headlines before even kicking a competitive ball as a senior Arsenal player, picking up a yellow card as a substitute in the heated 2-2 draw with Manchester City. He did later come on in that game and then made his first start against Bolton in the League Cup just days after. Since then, the Englishman has gone from strength to strength, cementing himself as one of the best full-backs in the division.

Despite coming through the Hale End academy as a midfielder, Lewis-Skelly has played the majority of minutes on the left-hand side of Mikel Arteta’s back line. Long-earmarked as a standout talent coming through at Arsenal, the 19-year-old looks destined for an impressive career at the top, both domestically and on the international stage. Last season, he played 42 times in all competitions for his boyhood club, which is extremely impressive for a player of his age.

16 Best English Teenage Footballers

Rank

Player

Club

Age

Myles Lewis-Skelly

Arsenal

Ethan Nwaneri

Arsenal

Archie Gray

Tottenham Hotspur

Tyler Dibling