England’s Premier League is football’s most star-studded domestic division and while it has a reputation for attracting the biggest and best names in the game, the EPL also has a knack for unearthing hidden gems and transforming relative unknowns into household names.
While the 2024/25 Premier League campaign is still in its infancy, we’ve already witnessed the emergence of several talented youngsters who have quickly forged reputations as players of promise to watch with interest.
Below, we’ve taken a closer look at five of the new Premier League campaign’s biggest breakout stars.
Amad Diallo (Manchester United)
Ivorian winger Amad Diallo was a peripheral figure at Manchester United right up until the sacking of Dutch coach Erik ten Hag in October, however, the versatile youngster has excelled since and has become one of the Red Devils’ chief creative outlets.
Now playing as a wing-back in Rubem Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, Amad has been combining a high work rate with silky dribbling skills to good effect and the 22-year-old ranks first at United for total Premier League assists claimed (six).
The former Atalanta starlet, who was a big-money capture for United in October 2020, is already enjoying his best campaign of his career in terms of appearances earned in the Premier League and he should be a key part of Amorim’s new-look side for the remainder of the season.
Tyler Dibling (Southampton)
Newly promoted Southampton are already listed as favourites for immediate relegation in the markets provided by most soccer sportsbooks, however, the emergence of Tyler Dibling has offered Saints fans some solace during what has been a largely gloomy first three months back in the Premier League.
The Exeter native briefly left Southampton following a decade in the club’s academy system in June 2022 before returning to the south coast just a couple of months later and the tricky flanksman made his first-team debut for the Saints a year later.
However, the 2024/25 Premier League campaign has been a hugely significant one for Dibling so far and the 18-year-old has already started nine times in the division since August and has excelled in high-profile fixtures against Man Utd and Liverpool.
Liam Delap (Ipswich)
Centre forward Liam Delap was a summer signing for Ipswich after the Tractor Boys identified the £20m-rated striker as the player to spearhead their attack in promoted Town’s first Premier League season since 2002.
Right from the get-go, the former Man City academy member looked the part for Ipswich and the 21-year-old opened his account for Town in their 1-1 draw with Fulham on August 31st.
Delap has notched six Premier League goals in total for relegation candidates Ipswich and already a menacing physical presence, the target man seems certain to develop into one of the league’s most devastating attackers in time.
A number of bigger clubs – including Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea – are already believed to be keeping close tabs on Delap’s progress in Suffolk.
Justin Devenny (Crystal Palace)
21-year-old attacking midfielder Justin Devenny excelled for Crystal Palace’s U21 team last season and his performances in the development tier of English football were enough to earn him greater first-team involvement this term.
Devenny was handed a first Premier League start for an injury-hit Eagles outfit against Fulham in November and kept his place in the starting XI for Palace’s 2-2 draw at Aston Villa shortly after, bagging the first senior goal of his career on just his second outing.
The promising schemer’s potential was also recognised by Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neil who capped Devenny against Luxembourg in late November. If the former Kilmarnock man maintains his trajectory, he could end up displacing some of his more senior counterparts for both club and country before the end of the current campaign.
Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton)
Jack Hinshelwood has been on Brighton’s books since the age of seven, though the 2024/25 season already looks like the campaign in which the teenager establishes himself as a Seagulls’ first-team staple.
The flexible performer, who can be deployed comfortably in a number of different positions, started eight Premier League games for Brighton last term, though he has already surpassed that tally this year (ten) and the 19-year-old’s skillset seems to be appreciated by new Albion head coach, Fabian Hürzeler.
Already an England U21 international, Hinshelwood’s talents are appreciated by the decision-makers in the English national team set-up too and the Seagulls academy graduate, who doesn’t turn 20 until April next year, is on target to start more than 30 Premier League fixtures this season.
