Max Dowman, Rio Ngumoha, Estevao Willian and 20 NXGN wonderkids set for breakout Premier League seasons in 2025-26

To say Zach Abbott was thrown in at the deep end for just his second senior appearance back in April would be an understatement, as the then-18-year-old was named in Nottingham Forest's line up for their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City. Despite having never played in the Premier League, Abbott was entrusted to fill in for the injured Ola Aina at right-back, and though Forest fell to defeat, the youngster did not disgrace himself.

That Abbott is naturally a centre-back should also be factored into how well he coped at Wembley that day, and there is excitement around the City Ground regarding the 19-year-old's future potential. Having signed a new contract in July, expect Abbott to finally make his top-flight bow in the coming months.

As David Moyes begins to rebuild Everton after guiding them to safety last season, he will be looking for homegrown talents to provide him with options alongside some exciting new signings. The academy player most likely to break into the first-team picture at the Hill Dickinson Stadium right now is midfielder Harrison Armstrong, who earned rave reviews while on loan in the Championship at Derby County last term.

The Rams are keen on taking Armstrong back on loan before the window closes, but after some decent showings in pre-season, Everton may look to fully integrate the 18-year-old into their first-team picture after he made his Premier League debut in August 2024.

Armstrong is not the only teenager looking to make their mark at Everton this season, with Adam Aznou having arrived on Merseyside following an £8 million ($10.7m) move from Bayern Munich. A product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, where he played alongside and became great friends with Lamine Yamal, Aznou joined Bayern in 2022, but made just two senior appearances for the German giants.

The 19-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan in La Liga with Rayo Vallecano, and there is hope that the attack-minded left-back can provide Moyes' side with plenty of youthful energy and quality on the ball. As a three-time Morocco international, Aznou will certainly be keen to make his mark on the Premier League as quickly as possible.

From Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe to Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, Arsenal's Hale End academy has been on a heater over the past five years or so. And yet, perhaps the best talent to have emerged in north London in recent times might only now be about to begin making his mark on the first team as Max Dowman prepares to finally make his highly-anticipated senior debut.

The 15-year-old likely would already have played for Mikel Arteta's side had Premier League rules not blocked him from doing so last term, but after an eye-catching pre-season that saw the midfielder likened to Lionel Messi in some quarters, Dowman is now free to begin contributing towards the Gunners' title pursuit.

Some of those on this last are already plenty experienced of senior football but are about to make their first mark on the Premier League, and Estevao Willian certainly falls into that bracket. A veteran of over 80 appearances for Palmeiras, as well as possessing five caps for Brazil, Estevao is finally set to show just why Chelsea agreed to pay up to £56m ($71m) over a year ago.

The 18-year-old forward, who was previously nicknamed 'Messinho' due similarities with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, netted 13 goals in the 2024 Brasilerao campaign - a number that was only bettered by two players - and has already opened his account for the Blues in their pre-season friendly win over Bayer Leverkusen. Amid plenty of competition for attacking places at Stamford Bridge, don't be surprised if Estevao is able to force himself into Enzo Maresca's preferred line up sooner rather than later.

Last season, Archie Gray made his first steps in the Premier League with some impressive displays for Tottenham. This term, his younger brother Harry will look to follow in Archie's footsteps having become the fifth member of the Gray family to represent Leeds United when he made his senior debut towards the end of their Championship-winning season in 2024-25.

The 16-year-old is more attack-minded than his elder sibling having played predominantly as a centre-forward during his academy years, though his technical ability has led to some predicting he could drop a little deeper once he begins to earn first-team experience. Either way, Leeds look to have another jewel from the rich Gray lineage to call upon as they aim to re-establish themselves in the top-flight.

Another Chelsea new boy who arrives with more experience than you might expect of one so young, Jorrel Hato joined the Blues from Ajax in late July for a fee of around £38m ($51m) having previously made 111 appearances for the Dutch giants over the past two-and-a-half seasons, during which time he also captained the team in the Europa League and earned six Netherlands caps.

Hato's maturity has led to him earning such honours despite having only turned 19 in March, while his versatility has allowed him to earn experience in various roles. And so while he is most comfortable at left-back, Levi Colwill's knee injury could yet lead to Hato being utilised at centre-back more often during his debut season in west London.

Had he not suffered a foot injury in March that ruled him out for much of the remainder of last season, Ayden Heaven would likely have accrued enough minutes in the Manchester United first team already to not be included on this list, so impressive were his performances following his arrival from Arsenal in January.

The 18-year-old looks ideally suited to playing on the left of Ruben Amorim's preferred back three, and Heaven has continued to catch the eye through pre-season, with Amorim having regularly started the teenager ahead of more experienced options. As such, Heaven has a real shot at locking down a regular role in the Red Devils' line up over the coming weeks.

Brighton's reputation for signing young players and turning them into top Premier League players is almost unmatched right now, but the Seagulls are less well regarded for producing elite talents from within their own academy. Jack Hinshelwood has gone some way to changing that over the past 18 months, and now his cousin, Harry Howell, has the chance to increase the number of homegrown players in Fabian Hurzeler's squad.

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder was one of the most prolific players in Premier League 2 - the English top-flight's competition for Under-21s teams - last term, and earned a senior debut in the penultimate week of the campaign as a result. Now, after impressing for England's U17s at their European Championship over the summer, Howell will be hoping to earn more first-team experience in 2024-25.

Another England youth international, Josh King made eight Premier League appearances, including one start, for Fulham last season, and many regulars at Craven Cottage are hopeful of the 18-year-old earning more opportunities this time around.

King, a technically-gifted central midfielder, signed a new long-term contract in July despite some links with a move away, and has shown enough in pre-season to suggest he will become a regular feature for Marco Silva's side over the coming 12 months.

Greek football is enjoying something of a moment. Olympiacos won both the Conference League and UEFA Youth League in 2024, and last season their senior national team won away in both England and Scotland on their way to earning promotion to the top tier of the Nations League, sparking hope of them qualifying for a first World Cup since 2014 over the coming months.

Forever ahead of the curve, Brighton have noticed this trend and hitched their wagon to it ahead of the new campaign by spending big on two highly-rated Greek teenagers. The first of those is Charalampos Kostoulas, who played a key role in that Youth League victory before scoring seven goals for Olympiacos' first team last season after breaking into the first team.

The 18-year-old was subsequently linked with the likes of Arsenal and Real Madrid before Brighton agreed to pay £30m ($40.5m) to bring him to the Amex. A true all-round striker, Kostoulas has all the attributes to join the growing number of elite No.9s who are thriving at the very top of the game in the not-too-distant future.

Bournemouth are beginning to rival Brighton as the Premier League's smartest spenders when it comes to unearthing jewels from overseas, and in Eli Junior Kroupi they may well have found their next elite-level talent on whom they will be able to make a massive profit in a couple of years. The Cherries actually completed their £10m ($13.5m) signing of the forward in January, but allowed him to see out the season on loan at boyhood club Lorient, whom he fired to the Ligue 2 title with a league's-best 22 goals.

The 19-year-old previously scored five goals in Ligue 1 for a team who were eventually relegated, and was likened to Kylian Mbappe by ex-Chelsea midfielder and his former team-mate Tiemoue Bakayoko thanks to his dribbling and shooting ability. He may have to be patient for initial opportunities at the Vitality Stadium, but expect Andoni Iraola to work Kroupi into his attacking rotation over the course of the campaign.

As Pep Guardiola continues rebuilding his Manchester City squad after last season's trophy-less campaign, he will continue looking to the club's fertile academy for talents who are capable of contributing at the highest level. And the next player off the conveyor belt looks likely to be Divine Mukasa following a remarkable year at youth level for the ex-West Ham youngster.

The 17-year-old midfielder averaged a goal or assist every 60 minutes for City's U18s last term, which led to him being linked with Bayer Leverkusen over the summer as they searched for a long-term replacement for Florian Wirtz. Mukasa has remained in Manchester, however, and provided an assist in City's pre-season victory over Palermo amid claims he is being eyed as Kevin De Bruyne's long-term successor at the Etihad.

Liverpool's new-look attack has been one of the stories of the summer, with Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike having replaced Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez at Anfield, while there remains hope that a deal for Alexander Isak can be done at Anfield as the club also continues to mourn the death of Diogo Jota. Amidst all that, Rio Ngumoha has shown in pre-season that he is ready to contribute to Arne Slot's side with some electric performances.

Having become the youngest player to start a game in Reds history back in January, the 16-year-old thrilled fans with his displays against Yokohama F. Marinos and Athletic Club, in particular, as his ability to leave defenders in his wake before providing inch-perfect finishes defied his lack of experience. Chelsea's loss certainly looks to have been Liverpool's gain when it comes to Ngumoha.

Ngumoha is not the only teenager set for an increased role at Liverpool this season as Trey Nyoni prepares to take on responsibility following his second-successive summer of impressive pre-season performances. The ex-Leicester City midfielder has five first-team appearances to his name already, but Slot has already hinted at him receiving more opportunities in 2025-26.

The 18-year-old certainly looks more physically ready to take on the challenge of Premier League football, while he also showcased his versatility over the summer by filling in at centre-back. Don't let that fool you, though; Nyoni is more than just a defensive midfielder, as he can also be a real threat in the final third when given the freedom to play a box-to-box role.

Aston Villa haven't done much transfer business over the summer, but they did pull off what may prove to be a coup by securing the signing of Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer after his contract at Feyenoord expired. The forward made nine first-team appearances for the Dutch giants last season, scoring twice, and there is hope at Villa Park that he could follow a similar trajectory to Jhon Duran's during his time in the Premier League.

The 19-year-old was part of the Netherlands' triumphant U19s side at the European Championship this past summer, and even scored two goals against England in the group stages. Redmond will be hungry, then, to become a nightmare for more defenders within the English game over the coming months and years.

Whether Sunderland had secured promotion from the Championship or not last season, Chris Rigg would almost certainly have been preparing for his first taste of Premier League football around now. That he is doing so while still with his boyhood club is, though, undoubtedly special, and he will likely be relied upon to play a key role if the Black Cats are to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.

Despite having only just turned 18, Rigg is a relative veteran of over 70 appearances for the Sunderland first team having first made his mark on the senior side as a 15-year-old. His performances thus far have seen him linked with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid while he has already been earmarked as an England midfielder of the future.

Remember when we said that Brighton had signed two teenage Greek strikers? Well here's the second of that duo, and Stefanos Tzimas has even been handed the No.9 shirt by the Seagulls, suggesting that Fabian Hurzerler has real faith in a player his club spent £20.8m ($28m) to buy back in January.

Tzimas remained at Nurnberg for the second half of last season, and the 19-year-old finished the campaign with 12 goals from just 23 appearances in the German second division. While there he learned under Miroslav Klose, and that education, coupled with his physical profile, make Tzimas a very exciting prospect as he prepares to make his bow in one of Europe's top-five leagues.

Tottenham fans have been waiting to see Luka Vuskovic in action ever since they beat off competition from Barcelona and others to sign him for £12m ($16m) back in September 2023, but they may have to wait a little longer amid reports the defender could be set for another spell on loan having previously spent time in Poland and Belgium following his initial breakthrough at Hajduk Split.

A towering centre-back, the 18-year-old is not only able to hold his own up against physically-imposing attackers, but has also shown a penchant for finding the net himself, and currently averages a goal every six games through his first two seasons of senior football. Vuskovic also scored on his unofficial Spurs debut in pre-season, but Thomas Frank does seem to have decided that the Croatian requires more experience before blooding him in north London.

Heading into the Championship play-offs, Tom Watson was the one Sunderland player who already knew he was Premier League-bound having previously agreed a £10m ($13.5m) move to Brighton two months earlier. However, that didn't stop him from giving his all to the Black Cats' cause, and his stoppage-time goal to beat Sheffield United at Wembley has already gone down in Mackem folklore.

The 19-year-old winger made 21 Championship appearances last term and is a regular in England youth sides, meaning it shouldn't be long before he is pushing for opportunities to further impress on the south coast.