Young Player Of The Season 2025-26 Nominees: Insights Into The Potential Winner

As the Premier League season nears its finish, attention turns to awards and the players in contention. The Premier League Young Player of the Season prize covers footballers aged 23 or under on the first day of the 2025-26 campaign, and eight standout names are shortlisted after strong league performances.

The award, introduced in 2019-20, has already gone to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden twice, Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Ryan Gravenberch. This season’s group features Rayan Cherki, Mateus Fernandes, Lewis Hall, Junior Kroupi, Michael Kayode, Kobbie Mainoo, Nico O'Reilly and Alex Scott, each offering different qualities.

Junior Kroupi has delivered one of the most effective debut seasons by a teenager in Premier League history. After scoring from the bench against Leeds United, Kroupi then started against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest and hit three goals across those two matches, showing composure and timing in the penalty area from the start.

Kroupi’s return of 12 goals equals the Premier League record for a teenager in a debut season. Robbie Fowler in 1993-94 and Robbie Keane in 1999-00 also scored 12, but Kroupi still has two fixtures remaining to set a new mark. A conversion rate of 27.3% is the league’s best among players with at least five goals.

Rayan Cherki has transformed Manchester City’s attacking patterns since signing from Lyon last summer. Cherki scored on debut after stepping off the bench in a 4-0 victory at Wolves, but creativity remains the strongest part of the contribution, providing a constant supply line in open play and from more controlled situations.

The City midfielder has produced 12 league assists, with only Bruno Fernandes, on 19, supplying more. Among players who have played at least 500 minutes, Cherki leads the league for assists per 90 minutes with 0.63. Cherki also places second for chances created per 90 at 3.14 and first for big chances created per 90 at 0.99.

Alex Scott has quietly influenced Bournemouth’s progress towards what looks like a first European qualification. Scott has appeared in all 36 Premier League games under Andoni Iraola, scoring three goals and recording one assist, and has offered reliable control in midfield during a long unbeaten spell that has now reached 16 matches.

With the ball, Scott shows calm passing and decision-making that help Bournemouth manage difficult periods in games. Off the ball, Scott ranks among the league’s busiest ball-winners, with 184 possessions regained, a total bettered by only three players this season. Scott’s standout moment came at Arsenal, racing forward to score the winner in a 2-1 success past David Raya.

Nico O'Reilly has stepped from promising prospect to dependable first-team option at Manchester City. After nine league outings, including six starts, during the 2024-25 campaign, O'Reilly has expanded the role this season and has mainly operated from left-back, while still contributing regularly in the final third for Pep Guardiola.

Premier League Young Player defensive influences

O'Reilly has five league goals and three assists, impressive figures for a defender. Only Bernardo Silva, with 36 games, and Erling Haaland, with 34, have appeared more often in the league for City than O'Reilly’s 33 games. O'Reilly, who won the Premier League Academy Graduate of the Year on Tuesday, also struck both goals in a 2-1 league win over Newcastle at the Etihad.

Lewis Hall’s progress has been a major positive in a challenging season for Newcastle United. Signed from Chelsea, Hall has become one of the most trusted full-backs in the division and may yet secure a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad, thanks to consistent defensive work and smart decisions in possession.

Only Sandro Tonali, with 143, has won possession more times for Newcastle this season than Hall, who has 125 recoveries. Across the league, only Malick Thiaw has won more duels than Hall’s 154, with Thiaw on 169. Among defenders with at least 1,000 minutes, just two average more possession regains per 90 minutes than Hall’s 5.6.

Premier League Young Player midfield control

Michael Kayode has built on a successful loan at Brentford in 2024-25, completing a permanent move from Fiorentina and remaining a key figure. Kayode’s long throws have become a major tactical tool, with 160 directed into opposition penalty areas in the league, at least 32 more than any other player has attempted.

From those throws, Kayode has created 15 chances, which is 11 more than any other player from similar situations. Kayode offers much more than set-piece deliveries, however, as only three Premier League defenders have won possession more often than his 155 recoveries. Among full-backs, only Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams, with 207, has won more duels than Kayode’s 203.

Kayode has also contributed 64 tackles in league play, the highest for Brentford apart from Yehor Yarmoliuk, who has 68. Mateus Fernandes has enjoyed a similarly influential season for West Ham United and should not be judged solely on the late miss against Arsenal on Sunday, when David Raya produced sharp goalkeeping to deny the midfielder.

Fernandes has three goals and three assists in the league, but the game is about much more than end-product. Fernandes has made 97 tackles, a figure surpassed by only four players in the competition and more than double any West Ham teammate. Only Jarrod Bowen, with 31, has created more open-play chances for West Ham than Fernandes, who has 29.

Fernandes has also taken part in 104 attacking sequences, with Bowen again the only West Ham player ahead on 133. Off the ball, Fernandes has regained possession 171 times, giving the 13th-highest total across the league. That includes 33 interceptions, which ranks 10th among Premier League midfielders and underlines strong anticipation without the ball.

Kobbie Mainoo’s nomination may surprise some observers due to limited minutes, yet the impact has been clear. The Manchester United midfielder has played in 26 of 36 league fixtures, totalling 1,473 minutes, excluding stoppage time, with only 12 appearances and 211 minutes arriving before the turn of the year.

United have won 17 of the 26 league games that include Mainoo, which compares well within the squad. Only Casemiro and Luke Shaw, each involved in 18 wins, are ahead, but both have played more often, in 32 and 36 games respectively. Under pressure, Mainoo has completed 86.1% of passes with a defender within two metres.

That passing accuracy when pressed ranks eighth among 66 midfielders who have attempted at least 400 passes this season. Across these nominees, different strengths stand out, from Kroupi’s finishing and Cherki’s creativity to Scott’s control and Kayode’s physical edge, leaving voters to weigh attacking output against defensive and structural contributions.

The Premier League Young Player of the Season award remains relatively new, yet already tracks many leading careers. With former winners including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and last season’s choice Ryan Gravenberch, this year’s shortlist must match high standards while also reflecting changing roles for young players.

As the campaign closes, the eight nominees present strong but contrasting cases that appeal to different views of value. Some offer goals, others provide structure or creativity, and several mix both. Whatever the outcome, the statistics underline that the next Premier League Young Player of the Season will already be central to a club’s future plans.