The Wonderkid Power Rankings: Man Utd, Brighton & Bournemouth starlets on the rise

Another weekend of action has been and gone, and that means that it’s once again time for our journalists to review the tape and comb through the stats in order to answer a simple question: Who is the best young player in the Premier League right now? The result is our weekly Wonderkid Power Rankings.

Last time out, Nico O’Reilly earned a third consecutive week at the peak of our Top 10 – but can a member of the chasing pack overtake him after Manchester City’s deflating draw against Everton?

Two talented Under-21s drop out of this week: West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf and Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, last week’s numbers nine and 10, both had a rough weekend and make way. That leaves space for one returning starlet and a player we’re rather surprised is only now making his first Power Rankings appearance of the season…

10. Ayden Heaven – Manchester United (re-entry)

Heaven has been getting another little run in the starting line-up of late and is repaying Michael Carrick’s faith handsomely. Impressive run-outs against Chelsea and Brentford have now been followed by a rock solid display against Liverpool, during which the 19-year-old won every single one-on-one battle he found himself in, dealt with every cross and pass which came his way, and showed some nice poise on the ball when asked to bring it out of defence. Heaven scarcely played for three months, but you wouldn’t know it to watch him.

9. Michael Kayode – Brentford (⬇️2)

It feels slightly cruel to knock Kayode down a couple of pegs here as he really didn’t do very much wrong as Brentford cruised to a 3-0 win over West Ham – but in truth, he didn’t do much of anything. West Ham barely tested the Italian down the left, and Kayode didn’t really test their defence all that much either. Sometimes, the game more or less passes a player by through no fault of their own. This was one such occasion.

8. Jaydee Canvot – Crystal Palace (⬇️3)

Canvot has hit the first slightly rough patch of his nascent career, not that he made any particularly glaring errors during the 3-0 beating that Palace took at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday – although it was Canvot with whom Dean Henderson tangled when he spilled the ball just before conceding a rather controversial penalty.

The young Frenchman simply couldn’t find ways to prevent the waves of Bournemouth attacks and wasn’t able to demonstrate the preternatural positional sense which has made him stand out since his promotion to the starting line-up. Like most of his team-mates, his mind seemed focused on the Conference League.

7. Jack Hinshelwood – Brighton & Hove Albion (new entry)

A pretty regular inclusion in our rankings last season, Hinshelwood had been struggling to recapture his best form since losing most of the autumn and winter to injury – until now.

His well-taken goal at the near post against Newcastle may have served as little more than consolation, but it was also the England Under-21 international’s second goal in as many games and he could easily have had another when he struck the post after charging down Nick Pope’s attempted clearance. Hinshelwood seems to be coming back to life after a challenging season.

6. Abdukodir Khusanov – Manchester City (-)

Khusanov didn’t quite get through the 3-3 draw on Merseyside without making any mistakes – Iliman Ndiaye could easily have scored after the Uzbek made a mess of tracking the Senegal international while running back towards goal – but he also contributed plenty at the back, blocking three shots and forcing eight turnovers. He was rock solid in possession, too. There were blemishes, but this was a largely positive performances.

5. Rayan – AFC Bournemouth (⬆️3)

Another game, another goal for the Brazilian winger, who has reignited the spark he showed us when he started his Premier League career back in the winter. He took his goal superbly, latching swiftly on to a through ball and rifling the ball into the far corner, and could have had a second when he stretched to head a cross over the bar. His contribution off the ball should be noted, too – he pressed hard throughout and forced several high turnovers. An energetic and impressive outing for the teenager.

4. Mateus Fernandes – West Ham United (⬇️2)

Fernandes grafted just as hard as ever against Brentford and did plenty of good work in defence as he did his best to hold the opposing charge up, but wasn’t able to get his passing game ticking on this occasion. Fernandes – now being linked with Manchester United among other sides – rarely seems to have a bad game and this wasn’t one of them, but neither was he able to drag West Ham back into a game they desperately needed to take something from.

3. Nico O’Reilly – Manchester City (⬇️2)

O’Reilly’s run at the top of our table comes to an end. His form through the spring has been superb but he struggled to make a mark against Everton either in defence or in attack, and it was one of those games in which things just didn’t seem to quite come off – he had three shots on goal but all were blocked, he committed more fouls than he completed tackles, and was beaten in the air on several occasions. A frustrating day at the office for a brilliant player.

2. Eli Junior Kroupi – AFC Bournemouth (⬆️2)

The penalty which Kroupi put away against Crystal Palace may have been deeply dubious, but that’s not the Frenchman’s problem – his spot-kick made it four goals in five games, and he continues to keep up a rare scoring rate for someone so young. His work out of possession was good, too, and he kept up the pressure on the Palace defence for long periods while taking the chance that was presented to him on a silver platter. The much-rumoured big-money move only seems to be getting closer with each passing week. 19-year-olds just aren’t meant to score this many goals.

1. Kobbie Mainoo – Manchester United (⬆️2)

Less than a week after signing a new five-year deal at Old Trafford, Mainoo began paying his expanded salary back with a brilliant performance against Liverpool, which he capped with a superbly-taken winning goal. Even before that strike – his first Premier League goal in two years – he was excellent on and off the ball, breaking up attacks, winning one-on-ones and shuttling possession towards the opposing goal with quick dribbles and intelligent passes. Keep this up for a few more weeks, and Mainoo could well be on the plane to the United States for the World Cup.