youngirish
17/07/2009, 2:22 PM
Seamus Coleman – Everton – 20 – Right Defence
Signed in the January transfer window for £150,000 from Sligo Rovers perhaps this season may come too soon for Coleman to really make his mark in the Premiership. He is possibly more likely to get a run out in the early stages of the Carling Cup or alternatively could find himself loaned out to a lower division club at least for the first half of the season. Depending how he gets on in either situation will go a long way to determining his first team opportunites as the season draws on.
Terry Dixon – West Ham – 20 - Striker
It is testament to how highly Dixon is rated in the game that West Ham were willing to pay for such expensive treatment to help save his career and also offer him a 3 year contract when it looked to many that this same career may well be over before it had even begun. Strong, pacey and clinical Dixon has all the raw talent required to go to the very top of the game and after declaring himself fit for the new season there is every chance he can make a big impact at West Ham providing he can stay clear of further injury problems.
Aaron Doran -Blackburn Rovers - 18 – Left/Right/Central Midfield
From seemingly nowhere 17 year old Doran appeared on the horizon towards the end of last year by making a handful of substitute appearances for Blackburn where he showed enough to suggest that he has what it takes to be potentially a future star in the Premiership. Quick, skillful and tenacious he should find more opportunities to impress next season and may push for a regular starting place if he takes these opportunities. Has had an excellent pre-season thus far scoring Blackburn’s equaliser against Roma earlier this week.
Kevin Foley – Wolves – 24 – Right Defence/Midfield
Perhaps Wolves most consistent performer last year in their march to the Premiership, Foley should be a definite starter at least in the early part of the season. Good on the ball and solid defensively he is a fullback in the Dennis Irwin/Steve Finnan mould. If he can become half as good a player as either Finnan or Irwin then he should be able to stake a claim for one of the troublesome fullback positions in Trappatoni’s team.
Darron Gibson – Manchester United – 21 – Central/Right Midfield
Next season is a massive one for the young Derryman. With Ferguson reluctant to make any further signings before the transfer window closes and an aging Paul Scholes and an injury ravaged Owen Hargreaves as his competition for places he will never have a better opportunity to break into a United team competing on 4 fronts. His goals and performances in a number of games last season certainly showed that he has the ability to play at the top level in football but there still must be a question mark over his consistency.
Alan Judge - Blackburn Rovers – 20- Central/Right Midfield
Another promising young midfielder from the Blackburn Rovers academy Judge spent the second part of last season on loan at Plymouth where by all accounts he excelled in a right midfield position playing a large part in helping them to avoid the drop. Pacey, tricky and with bags of skill he is another Blackburn player that certainly has the talent to make a mark on the Premiership next year but his slight build and small stature may mean that he could struggle with the more physical side of the game.
Andy Keogh – Wolves – 23 – Striker
After having a poor first half to the season Keogh started to show some better form at the tail end of last season putting in some eye-catching performances and scoring some priceless goals as Wolves surged towards the Championship title. With Iwelumo being injured he should, at least initially, get a few more outings when the Premiership kicks off which he has to make the most of if he is to feature more regularly as the season progresses. His lack of a killer instinct in front of goal and his questionable physical presence could present too large an obstacle for him to overcome which he must do if he is to succeed at this level of the game.
Chris McCann – Burnley – 21 - Central Midfield
One of the young stars of Burnley’s perhaps surprising push for promotion last season McCann is box to box midfielder with a thunderous left foot and an invaluable ability to find the net when it matters. Tall, strong, good in the air, tough tackling and equally at home in attack or defence he certainly has all the attributes to succeed in the Premiership but much will depend on how Burnley adapt to life in the top tier of English football and whether he is capable of raising his game to the level required.
James McCarthy – Hamilton – 18 – Central Midfield
Still officially at Hamilton McCarthy is almost certain to find himself at one of the many Premiership clubs that have displayed an interest in his abilities before the season kicks off unless that is Celtic step in to hijack any potential move. Often compared to a young Stephen Gerrard McCarthy seemingly has all you would require in a midfielder, a fierce shot, a keen eye for a pass, an ability to find the goal on a regular basis and an acute awareness of what’s going on around him. Already has gained considerable experience in over 100 senior appearances at Hamilton far more than his young years would suggest and he should find an outlet for his talents wherever he ends up next season.
Joey O’Brien – Bolton – 23 – Right Defence/Central Midfield
A combination of a succession of injuries and being played out of position have served to stall the development of the promising O’Brien who looked like he could potentially be a real star when he first went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday and outshone an older and more experienced Glenn Whelan almost 5 years ago. With Megson appearing to prefer him in a central midfield berth he might finally start to realise that potential if he can steer clear of injuries this term. Strong defensively and with good distribution he could provide an alternative option to Andrews and Whelan if he keeps himself fit and Trappatoni forgives his outburst in the press at the start of last season.
Keith Treacy – Blackburn Rovers – 21 – Left Midfield
Last season appeared to start well for Treacy. He quickly found himself a regular fixture in Paul Ince’s plans and made numerous appearances from the bench with even the occasional start. However a combination of some poor performances and the replacement of Ince with Sam Allardyce meant that he found himself further down the pecking order as the season went on. Next year is a big one for him.
Stephen Ward – Wolves – 23 - Left Defence/Midfield
Another to watch at Wolves, Ward was forced last season to fill in at an unfamiliar role on the left side of defence due to injuries to other players but was so impressive he managed to make the position his own for most of the season. Has consistently improved every season thus far with Wolves and if he manages to do so again then he could find himself a regular in the starting 11 for yet another year.
Marc Wilson – Portsmouth – 21 – Right/Central Defence
Before succumbing to injury Wilson weighed in with a handful of first team appearances last season under Tony Adams where he didn’t look out of place. Has yet to feature under Paul Hart but as shown in his days at Nottingham Forest Hart is not afraid to throw young players into the first team and with Portsmouth’s squad looking thinner by the week he may feature more regularly this year.
Signed in the January transfer window for £150,000 from Sligo Rovers perhaps this season may come too soon for Coleman to really make his mark in the Premiership. He is possibly more likely to get a run out in the early stages of the Carling Cup or alternatively could find himself loaned out to a lower division club at least for the first half of the season. Depending how he gets on in either situation will go a long way to determining his first team opportunites as the season draws on.
Terry Dixon – West Ham – 20 - Striker
It is testament to how highly Dixon is rated in the game that West Ham were willing to pay for such expensive treatment to help save his career and also offer him a 3 year contract when it looked to many that this same career may well be over before it had even begun. Strong, pacey and clinical Dixon has all the raw talent required to go to the very top of the game and after declaring himself fit for the new season there is every chance he can make a big impact at West Ham providing he can stay clear of further injury problems.
Aaron Doran -Blackburn Rovers - 18 – Left/Right/Central Midfield
From seemingly nowhere 17 year old Doran appeared on the horizon towards the end of last year by making a handful of substitute appearances for Blackburn where he showed enough to suggest that he has what it takes to be potentially a future star in the Premiership. Quick, skillful and tenacious he should find more opportunities to impress next season and may push for a regular starting place if he takes these opportunities. Has had an excellent pre-season thus far scoring Blackburn’s equaliser against Roma earlier this week.
Kevin Foley – Wolves – 24 – Right Defence/Midfield
Perhaps Wolves most consistent performer last year in their march to the Premiership, Foley should be a definite starter at least in the early part of the season. Good on the ball and solid defensively he is a fullback in the Dennis Irwin/Steve Finnan mould. If he can become half as good a player as either Finnan or Irwin then he should be able to stake a claim for one of the troublesome fullback positions in Trappatoni’s team.
Darron Gibson – Manchester United – 21 – Central/Right Midfield
Next season is a massive one for the young Derryman. With Ferguson reluctant to make any further signings before the transfer window closes and an aging Paul Scholes and an injury ravaged Owen Hargreaves as his competition for places he will never have a better opportunity to break into a United team competing on 4 fronts. His goals and performances in a number of games last season certainly showed that he has the ability to play at the top level in football but there still must be a question mark over his consistency.
Alan Judge - Blackburn Rovers – 20- Central/Right Midfield
Another promising young midfielder from the Blackburn Rovers academy Judge spent the second part of last season on loan at Plymouth where by all accounts he excelled in a right midfield position playing a large part in helping them to avoid the drop. Pacey, tricky and with bags of skill he is another Blackburn player that certainly has the talent to make a mark on the Premiership next year but his slight build and small stature may mean that he could struggle with the more physical side of the game.
Andy Keogh – Wolves – 23 – Striker
After having a poor first half to the season Keogh started to show some better form at the tail end of last season putting in some eye-catching performances and scoring some priceless goals as Wolves surged towards the Championship title. With Iwelumo being injured he should, at least initially, get a few more outings when the Premiership kicks off which he has to make the most of if he is to feature more regularly as the season progresses. His lack of a killer instinct in front of goal and his questionable physical presence could present too large an obstacle for him to overcome which he must do if he is to succeed at this level of the game.
Chris McCann – Burnley – 21 - Central Midfield
One of the young stars of Burnley’s perhaps surprising push for promotion last season McCann is box to box midfielder with a thunderous left foot and an invaluable ability to find the net when it matters. Tall, strong, good in the air, tough tackling and equally at home in attack or defence he certainly has all the attributes to succeed in the Premiership but much will depend on how Burnley adapt to life in the top tier of English football and whether he is capable of raising his game to the level required.
James McCarthy – Hamilton – 18 – Central Midfield
Still officially at Hamilton McCarthy is almost certain to find himself at one of the many Premiership clubs that have displayed an interest in his abilities before the season kicks off unless that is Celtic step in to hijack any potential move. Often compared to a young Stephen Gerrard McCarthy seemingly has all you would require in a midfielder, a fierce shot, a keen eye for a pass, an ability to find the goal on a regular basis and an acute awareness of what’s going on around him. Already has gained considerable experience in over 100 senior appearances at Hamilton far more than his young years would suggest and he should find an outlet for his talents wherever he ends up next season.
Joey O’Brien – Bolton – 23 – Right Defence/Central Midfield
A combination of a succession of injuries and being played out of position have served to stall the development of the promising O’Brien who looked like he could potentially be a real star when he first went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday and outshone an older and more experienced Glenn Whelan almost 5 years ago. With Megson appearing to prefer him in a central midfield berth he might finally start to realise that potential if he can steer clear of injuries this term. Strong defensively and with good distribution he could provide an alternative option to Andrews and Whelan if he keeps himself fit and Trappatoni forgives his outburst in the press at the start of last season.
Keith Treacy – Blackburn Rovers – 21 – Left Midfield
Last season appeared to start well for Treacy. He quickly found himself a regular fixture in Paul Ince’s plans and made numerous appearances from the bench with even the occasional start. However a combination of some poor performances and the replacement of Ince with Sam Allardyce meant that he found himself further down the pecking order as the season went on. Next year is a big one for him.
Stephen Ward – Wolves – 23 - Left Defence/Midfield
Another to watch at Wolves, Ward was forced last season to fill in at an unfamiliar role on the left side of defence due to injuries to other players but was so impressive he managed to make the position his own for most of the season. Has consistently improved every season thus far with Wolves and if he manages to do so again then he could find himself a regular in the starting 11 for yet another year.
Marc Wilson – Portsmouth – 21 – Right/Central Defence
Before succumbing to injury Wilson weighed in with a handful of first team appearances last season under Tony Adams where he didn’t look out of place. Has yet to feature under Paul Hart but as shown in his days at Nottingham Forest Hart is not afraid to throw young players into the first team and with Portsmouth’s squad looking thinner by the week he may feature more regularly this year.