WHILE many top players across the Premier League were away at the World Cup, young stars at all clubs had the opportunity to catch the eye of their managers.
And with a new year comes a fresh chance for them to break through and start making an impact at the top table.
We have picked out six players who will hope to have a big role across the second half of the season.
Alejandro Garnacho – Manchester United
The Argentine winger caught the eye in the final weeks before the World Cup break.
Garnacho joined Manchester United from Atletico Madrid in 2020.
He bagged a sensational stoppage time winner at Fulham in the final Premier League game before the break.
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And that was after he scored the winner in the final Europa League group stage game at Real Sociedad ten days earlier.
Manager Erik ten Hag and teammate Bruno Fernandes have hailed the 18-year-old for improving his attitude after lacking focus during pre-season.
With Jadon Sancho still struggling for form at Old Trafford, there is a real chance for Garnacho to nail down a spot should he prove to be a reliable option for Ten Hag.
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Elliot Anderson – Newcastle
WHILE most of the talk around Newcastle in January will focus on shiny new signings, there is still plenty of excitement about one of their own who could make a mark for Eddie Howe’s side.
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There are great expectations for attacking midfielder Anderson, who was compared to Diego Maradona by former Newcastle man Joey Barton following a loan spell with his Bristol Rovers side last season. No pressure, then.
The 20-year-old is yet to score for the Magpies but showed under Barton that he has the talent and confidence to light up games with moments of individual brilliance.
Having struggled with a few knocks and niggles during the World Cup break, Anderson will be hoping to get a shot at a first Prem start once he returns to full fitness.
Sam Edozie – Southampton
Having signed almost half of Manchester City’s academy during the summer window, Southampton will be hoping for a lot from their crop of kids over the second half of the season.
Gavin Bazunu and, when fit, Romeo Lavia, have already established themselves as starters at St. Mary’s.
Despite Edozie missing a sitter late on against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup last week, new Saints boss Nathan Jones is certainly excited about working with the youngster.
The forward, 19, certainly has the ability to lift bums off seats and leave full-backs trailing behind him when given the chance to charge down the wing and could be key to Southampton’s survival hopes.
Omari Hutchinson – Chelsea
Graham Potter’s World Cup break was spent largely with Chelsea’s academy thanks to a huge number of players either being in Qatar or on the injury list.
The one to really stand out, however, was 19-year-old Hutchinson.
Signed from Arsenal in the summer, the winger is making a second attempt at Chelsea having started out there as a kid before moving on.
Hutchinson caught the eye in Chelsea’s friendly against Aston Villa, showing no lack of confidence against a side packed with senior players.
He will be hoping for the chance to do just that in a competitive game in the coming weeks.
Luke Harris – Fulham
Called up to the Wales squad before he had even made a Premier League appearance, there is certainly a lot of hype around Harris.
The Jersey-born attacking midfielder models his game on Chelsea great Frank Lampard and has scored bags of goals at youth level for Fulham, including bagging a hat-trick inside 11 minutes against Newcastle in February.
Cottagers boss Marco Silva has been blown away by Harris’ ability and attitude since arriving in west London and has tipped the 17-year-old for big things in the future.
Having seen Harvey Elliot and Fabio Carvalho nabbed after making impressive first steps at Craven Cottage, Fulham fans will hope Harris is one to stick around once he breaks through.
Levi Colwill – Brighton
Handed his Premier League debut in the final game before the World Cup break, defender Colwill now has a chance to establish himself at Brighton.
Despite defeat in that meeting with Aston Villa, the 19-year-old, who is on loan from Chelsea, looked assured at the top level and could break into the Albion back line across the second half of the season.
Colwill is so highly rated that many Chelsea fans were furious to see his loan move allowed back in the summer.
While he has had to wait for his chance with the likes of Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman impressing, the England Under-21 defender could be in for a big few months should he grab his chance.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
