5 BEST English Wonderkids in Football

We’re just a few months away from the start of the 2026 World Cup. Thomas Tuchel is finalising his England squad – but could any of these wonderkids sneak in at the last moment?

To keep things interesting, we’ll only be looking at players under the age of 20 in this list. We want to avoid as many of the ‘usual suspects’ as we can.

We’ll be looking at players from clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United in this list – can you guess who they are?

Ethan Nwaneri

Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest Premier League player in history when he made his senior Arsenal debut at just 15 years of age – since then, the spotlight has been on him and his progression.

Currently, he is out on loan at Marseille. Given Arsenal’s enormously talented squad, this shouldn’t come as a surprise – nor should it be held against him.

Since his arrival in France, Nwaneri has made three starts for Marseille in Ligue 1, scoring a single goal along the way. An immensely talented attacking midfielder, Nwaneri’s potential is limitless.

Josh King

Despite being just 19 years of age, Josh King has already carved out a place in Fulham’s first team. This alone should be a testament to his quality – he made his senior debut for the club back in 2024.

He’s very adaptable for such a young player – while he is most comfortable in the attacking midfield role, he can also play as a central midfielder or as an out-and-out striker.

He has made 21 appearances in the Premier League for Fulham this season. He has yet to win his first senior England cap, but this will surely come in time.

Lewis Miley

Lewis Miley has already established himself as a bit of a midfield general at Newcastle United. For such a young player, he functions like a ten-year veteran of the game.

Physically, however, he retains his youthfulness – he is very energetic, covering a massive amount of ground in every game he features in.

He had a massive task in unseating one of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton or Sandro Tonali – with 19 Premier League appearances under his belt this season, we think he’s done a pretty good job of it.

Josh Acheampong

Josh Acheampong was thrown into the deep end this season, but he certainly didn’t sink – in fact, he has performed admirably whenever the Blues have called upon him in 2025/26.

While he is a natural right-back, Chelsea’s injury problems at the beginning of the season forced them to field him as a centre-back. Nevertheless, he didn’t miss a beat.

He certainly isn’t the finished product – a recent poor performance against Leeds United highlighted his weaknesses – but there is plenty for him to build on at just 19 years of age.

Myles Lewis-Skelly

Myles Lewis-Skelly is a wonderful young footballer – he’s an absolute joy to watch on the ball and is no stranger to a meaty tackle. Had he been given more gametime at Arsenal this season, we’re sure he’d be a key figure in Tuchel’s England squad plans by now.

Lewis-Skelly is a natural left-back, but his adroit technical ability and movement means he can also function as a central midfielder.

Sadly, Mikel Arteta has favoured his more physical defenders this season over Lewis-Skelly – nevertheless, he still has a glittering future in professional football.