Finding first-team football in the Premier League can be tough for youngsters, but regular minutes are essential to development.
This season several starlets have shone amid limited action and will want to kick on next season and earn a more prominent place in their team’s plans.
Here are five Premier League players who need more minutes in 2024-25.
Jhon Duran (Aston Villa)
Jhon Duran underlined his potential this week with a double off the bench against Liverpool. The 20-year-old has struggled for a regular role given the form of Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa but has shown enough this season to suggest he has a big future.
Duran has eight goals in all competitions, despite starting only six times, and has averaged a goal every 74.6 minutes in the Premier League this season. Chelsea and West Ham enquired into his availability in the January transfer window, though Villa will be reluctant to lose a player who has already won eight caps for Colombia at international level.
Excellent in the air and with a thunderous left foot, Duran has all the attributes to be moulded into a high-quality number nine. However, Unai Emery is reported to have reservations over Duran’s temperament and application in training.
The South American is a project, but an exciting one for Aston Villa. The tools are all there.
UNSTOPPABLE. ????
Sensational from @JhonDuran991! ???? pic.twitter.com/F6QH9FAsr9
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 16, 2023
Alex Scott (Bournemouth)
Bournemouth won a competitive race to sign Alex Scott from Bristol City last summer as top-flight clubs competed for the signature of the EFL Championship’s Young Player of the Season.
The midfielder’s first season in the Premier League has seen him drift in and out of the Bournemouth side, while injuries have also stalled the progress of a player who does not turn 21 until August.
However, Scott has shown moments of real quality and carries the ball confidently through lines, appearing to glide when in possession. The Cherries are right to be excited about Scott, who made his England u-21 debut in March and has the potential to move up to senior level.
Some Alex Scott magic from our last outing with Fulham ???? pic.twitter.com/NUlMzgwefQ
— AFC Bournemouth ???? (@afcbournemouth) February 10, 2024
Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)
Jurgen Klopp has said he has regret over his use of Harvey Elliott this season with the Liverpool midfielder having made 23 of his 33 league appearances in 2023-24 from the bench.
“If I regret one thing a little bit it’s that Harvey didn’t play often enough maybe,” Klopp said in The Reds Roundtable series.
“It was in a very important and intense period. January, [with] a lot of injuries, he played really good, he was probably our best player, right-wing, right midfield, all these kinds of things. Everybody came back and he had minutes here and there and then he didn’t start anymore. [He] came on [and had] a big impact but it’s really nice that he could show.”
THAT first touch and THAT finish ????
Harvey Elliott with one of the strikes of the season ???? pic.twitter.com/jr0iw5PMzH
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 9, 2024
Since the start of the year, only Kevin De Bruyne has more assists than Elliott in all competitions, while the midfielder now has 11 G/As in his last 10 starts. It’s easy to forget that Elliott is still just 21, having been on the fringes of the Liverpool team since 2019.
Though Gareth Southgate has several options of similar profile, he could be a wildcard for England in the summer.
Amad Diallo (Manchester United)
Amad Diallo was gearing up for a big season at Manchester United until disaster struck in pre-season with a long-term injury. Diallo lit up the Championship on loan at Sunderland last season, scoring 14 goals to earn the second-tier PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award.
A last-gasp winner in the famous FA Cup win over Liverpool was a reminder of his capabilities and Diallo shone on his first Premier League start of the season against Arsenal last weekend.
AN INCREDIBLE END TO ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE DERBY GAMES YOU WILL HAVE EVER SEEN.
Step forward, Sir Amad Diallo ♥️@ManUtd have won it in extra-time with seconds to go!!!#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/Avyx1vE857
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 17, 2024
The 21-year-old has watched on as expensive and underperforming players have occupied the wide roles at Manchester United and the Ivorian deserves an equal chance to prove himself at Old Trafford.
Elliot Anderson (Newcastle)
Another player whose promising pre-season came to a halt early in the campaign, Anderson forced himself into the Newcastle team after a strong summer but a back injury saw the 21-year-old sidelined for an extended period.
Now back to full fitness, he has been given a run in the team in the absence of Joelinton and has taken it. The Scotland u-21 international could break into the senior squad for this summer’s European Championship after impressing with his box-to-box energy and passing variation in the Magpies’ midfield.
Eddie Howe on Elliot Anderson:
“Elliot has come through the Academy here. When I first came to the club, we were aware of him and his talents. He’s really worked on all aspects of the game, and I think he’s been really reliable for us.
Whatever position I have used in him, he… pic.twitter.com/FKMwcOxqrp
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 14, 2024
Eddie Howe has developed and improved a host of players since arriving at St James’ Park and will be keen to work closely with Anderson, who could be a fixture in the side next season.
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