25 of the biggest talents under 25 years old playing in the Championship in 2022/23

Check out more of the 25 biggest talents under 25 years old playing in the Championship in 2022/23 below…

Tommy Doyle – Sheffield United (20)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  Tommy Doyle will spend the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Sheffield United from Manchester City – and he arrives at Bramall Lane with incredible pedigree.

The 20-year-old has been on City’s books since the age of eight, following in the footsteps of his grandfathers Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe, who made over 750 league appearances combined for the club during the 1960s and 70s.

A deep-lying midfielder with a keen eye for both a pass and a goal, Doyle started last season on loan in the 2. Bundesliga with Hamburg, before joining Cardiff in January and making 19 league appearances.

Should he continue in the vein he finished last season in, he will bring a welcome injection of youthful energy to the Blades’ midfield.

Isaiah Jones, Middlesbrough (23)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  It says a lot for the talent of Isaiah Jones that he was favoured as Middlesbrough’s right wing-back last term, which forced the in-demand Djed Spence to seek regular football away from Teesside.

But it soon became clear why Neil Warnock sent the younger of the two out on loan to Nottingham Forest.

Jones registered an assist in the first three league games of the season and his overlapping runs down the right flank often had the Riverside faithful on the edges of their seats.

He continued to play a key role under Chris Wilder and finished the campaign with an impressive 10 goal involvements in 42 Championship outings as Boro finished seventh.

Unlikely to shy away from a tackle, the 23-year-old will likely want to improve his discipline after picking up 11 bookings in 2021/22.

Jayson Molumby, West Brom (22)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  West Brom’s new signing Jayson Molumby is no stranger to the Championship.

The Brighton academy graduate spent a season on loan at Millwall in 2019/20, racking up invaluable minutes in the Lions’ midfield, before spending half a season with Preston and then last campaign with the Baggies, though he was not able to hold down a starting spot with either.

But Steve Bruce clearly saw the potential in the 14-time Republic of Ireland international and took up the option to bring him in on a permanent basis in May as he remoulds the squad left to him by predecessor Valerien Ismael.

Molumby is a brave, defensive-minded midfielder who had a passing success rate of 85.1 per cent in 2021/22 and can now forge a career in his own right after his Seagulls exit.

Iliman Ndiaye, Sheffield United (22)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  Within less than three years, Iliman Ndiaye has gone from being a member of National League club Boreham Wood’s academy to one of the Championship’s brightest prospects and a full Senegal international.

It has been one hell of a ride for the 22-year-old French-born attacking midfielder.

He announced himself with two goals and an assist on his first Championship outing – in a 6-2 win over Peterborough back in September – and went on to make 26 starts in all competitions, becoming an important part of the Blades squad as Paul Heckingbottom steered them away from mid-table mediocrity to the play-offs. He signed a new contract at Bramall Lane last year, which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2024.

Michael Obafemi, Swansea City (22)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  Playing for a club that trusts in its academy prospects, Michael Obafemi was always likely to be provided with an opening of some sort at Southampton and when he was, he made history as the club’s second-youngster player to make a Premier League appearance and youngest to score in the Premier League at 18 years and 169 days old.

But chances thereafter became few and far between and so, last summer, he took the decision to move on.

In an interview with the Telegraph last month, the striker admitted it took time to settle at Swansea – he scored just once in his first 14 games in all competitions – but when he did, everything clicked into place and he hit 11 in the next 19, which helped him earn a recall to the Republic of Ireland squad.

The 22-year-old started last season at St Mary’s and so, with a full pre-season in South Wales, will be raring to replicate that deadly form.

Callum O’Hare, Coventry City (24)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  Callum O’Hare was one of the shining lights for Coventry last term, as Mark Robins’ Sky Blues mounted an unprecedented bid for a Championship play-off place during a blistering first half of the season, before eventually falling away to finish 12th.

The 24-year-old – who has previously been compared to Jack Grealish – scored five goals and assisted eight more in 47 games in all competitions.

A keen dribbler of the ball, a key component of his game is to drive forward, while he possesses admirable vision, too: during the 2021/22 season, he averaged 40.5 passes per 90 minutes with 78.4 per cent success rate, up from 28.5 passes with a 77 per cent success rate the previous campaign.

In a huge boost for Coventry, O’Hare told BBC Radio CWR earlier this summer of his intention to remain with the club.

Joel Piroe, Swansea City (22)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  Joel Piroe arrived in South Wales last summer with one decent season at Jong PSV under his belt and a handful of appearances for PSV’s first team.

On paper, there was little to get excited about. But the young Dutchman soon silenced any doubters as he took to the Championship like a duck to water during Russell Martin’s maiden season at the club.

The 22-year-old scored on his debut against Reading in the Carabao Cup, added three in the next four games and had 12 to his name by Christmas.

Indeed, throughout the entirety of the season, there were just two occasions when he went more than two games without scoring.

Such potency has garnered attention from far and wide, though the Swans are confident of holding onto the striker, having placed a £20m price tag on his head earlier this month.

Emil Riis, Preston North End (24)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  Emil Riis’ two campaigns at Deepdale could hardly have been more contrasting.

In 2020/21, the Danish frontman – who spent three years at Derby’s academy – scored five goals in 42 games; in 2021/22, he scored 20 in 49 in all competitions.

That made him just the fourth Preston man to hit the 20 mark since the turn of the millennium.

The 24-year-old appeared increasingly confident in front of goal and showed his ability to score different types of goals both inside and outside of the penalty area, which will stand him in good stead as Ryan Lowe moulds his team ahead of his first full season in charge of the Lancashire club.

Jon Russell, Huddersfield Town (21)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  Towering midfielder Jon Russell arrived at the John Smith’s Stadium from Chelsea last summer, with just a year’s experience in senior football, gained during a loan spell at Accrington in League One a season earlier.

He was signed as a member of the club’s B team and, it was not until November 2021 that he began to be included in the Terriers’ first team squad on a regular basis.

But he developed significantly quicker than he was expected to and, as a result, he did not miss a single minute of 18 of the last 19 matches in all competitions.

Standing at 6’4″, his stature is one typically associated with a central defender, yet he is a magnificent passer of the ball, handy in the penalty area – as shown by a glorious goal against Luton last term – and sure to be a key component of Danny Schofield’s midfield going forward, having made an average of 1.3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 0.9 clearances per match in an impressive first Championship season.

Alex Scott, Bristol City (18)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  It is not hard to see why Alex Scott is considered a wonderkid.

He signed his first professional contract with Bristol City at the age of 17 last March, made his Championship debut in August, scored his first senior goal in October and had made 39 appearances in all competitions under Nigel Pearson by the time the season concluded.

The 18-year-old displayed his versatility during that time, playing on the right and in a variety of midfield roles; the 12 yellow cards he picked up showed his combative nature.

Clubs in the Premier League and beyond will have no doubt been alerted to his talents recently, with Scott impressing for the England U19s at the European Championships in Slovakia.

He scored the goal that prompted the Young Lions’ semi-final revival against Italy and started the final, in which England pipped Israel to the trophy.

Antoine Semenyo, Bristol City (22)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  Antoine Semenyo burst onto the scene during a breakout 2020/21 campaign, playing in various positions across the Bristol City frontline, but it was last season that he settled into a role at the forefront of the Robins’ attack.

He scored eight goals and assisted 12 more in 32 games in all competitions, and was the perfect foil for Andreas Weimann who, arguably, played out the best season of his career to date.

Semenyo’s impressive average of 0.63 goal involvements per match saw him called up to the Ghana squad this summer and, in June, he made his debut against Madagascar.

He is another who is said to have plenty of suitors, particularly as he enters the final year of his contract, but Nigel Pearson will see him as a key component of his endeavour to improve upon last term’s 17th-place finish.

Sorba Thomas, Huddersfield Town (23)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  After six years in non-League with Boreham Wood, Sorba Thomas got his chance in the EFL last year – and he has, unquestionably, seized it.

He played a pivotal role as Huddersfield bounced back from a 20th-place finish to reach the Championship play-offs earlier this year, missing only the final three games of the regular season through injury.

It is the creative spark he provided that helped Carlos Corberan’s Terriers to exceed expectations, notably his set-piece delivery, and he finished his first season in the division with 16 assists in all competitions.

The Wales international – who made his debut in September – recently signed a new deal to keep him at the club until 2026.

Scott Twine, Burnley (23)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  It has been quite a whirlwind for Scott Twine over the last few years.

As recently as 2020, he was playing in the National League South for Chippenham Town – and now he is preparing for life in the Championship, playing under Premier League legend Vincent Kompany, no less.

The 23-year-old had impressed on loan from boyhood club Swindon at Newport and then back at the County Ground.

But it was last season at MK Dons that knowledge of his talents became more widespread.

In Liam Manning’s youthful side, he transformed from a striker with raw talent to a deadly No 10 with envy-inducing long-range shooting capabilities and racked up 33 goal involvements in 49 games.

With the way he settled into life in the third tier, there seems to be no question as to whether or not he can do the same in the second.

Ben Woodburn, Preston North End (22)

Dan Long of Sky Sports said:  It is no exaggeration to say that Ben Woodburn is looking to get his career back on track at Preston this season. Fast-tracked into the Liverpool setup at a young age, he became the Reds’ youngest-ever scorer when he netted against Leeds in November 2016 and had made his senior Wales debut by the age of 17.

It all looked rosy, but further appearances were, at best, few and far between and moves to Sheffield United, Oxford and Blackpool followed.

He spent last season on loan at Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, but was unable to hold down a starting spot, finishing the season with three goals and two assists in 30 matches in all competitions.

The talent undoubtedly remains and, now free of the weight of expectation that comes with the Liverpool shirt, Woodburn can start afresh.

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