The best young central midfielders in the Premier League so far this season
Among the 17 central midfielders aged 23 or under with at least 158 minutes in the Premier League this season, Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United, 21) has the highest rank score, 80 out of 100, measured against all 52 central midfielders who have played that much.
Manchester United · 21
Brighton & Hove Albion · 20
AFC Bournemouth · 23The top 10
Rank score is 0 to 100: how a player compares with every central midfielder in the Premier League with 158+ minutes, of any age, across the measures below. 50 is the middle of that group and 100 the best. The small figure is his place on each measure among the same 52.
| # | Player | Age | Mins | Rank score | Key passes per 90 | Goals per 90 | Assists per 90 | Pass accuracy | Dribbles per 90 | Average rating | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Kobbie Mainoo Manchester United |
21 | 357 | 80 | 1.5113th | 0.0011th | 0.2510th | 94%3rd | 2.521st | 7.198th | 67 ▲ |
| 2 |
Malick Yalcouyé Brighton & Hove Albion |
20 | 237 | 76 | 1.905th | 0.761st | 0.0016th | 87%32nd | 2.282nd | 7.246th | - |
| 3 |
Alex Scott AFC Bournemouth |
23 | 447 | 66 | 2.213rd | 0.209th | 0.0016th | 82%40th | 0.8113th | 7.189th | 56 ▲ |
| 4 | 
Yasin Ayari Brighton & Hove Albion |
22 | 334 | 65 | 0.8136th | 0.277th | 0.0016th | 91%8th | 0.8112th | 7.0016th | 64 ▲ |
| 5 | 
Mateus Fernandes  Tottenham Hotspur |
22 | 250 | 60 | 1.806th | 0.0011th | 0.0016th | 95%1st | 0.3631st | 6.9124th | 71 ▼ |
| 6 | 
Elliot Anderson  Manchester City |
23 | 415 | 57 | 0.6543rd | 0.0011th | 0.0016th | 90%14th | 0.8711th | 7.343rd | 75 ▼ |
| 7 | 
Shea Charles  Fulham |
22 | 304 | 53 | 0.8932nd | 0.0011th | 0.0016th | 90%15th | 0.899th | 6.8829th | - |
| 8 | 
Diego Gómez Brighton & Hove Albion |
23 | 435 | 51 | 1.4514th | 0.0011th | 0.416th | 78%46th | 0.2136th | 6.9423rd | 49 ▲ |
| 9 | 
Harrison Armstrong  Everton |
19 | 447 | 48 | 0.8137th | 0.0011th | 0.2015th | 89%20th | 0.4028th | 6.8233rd | 16 ▲ |
| 10 | 
Roméo Lavia  Chelsea |
22 | 263 | 48 | 0.6840th | 0.346th | 0.0016th | 88%23rd | 0.3432nd | 6.8631st | - |
Against the rest of the league
Each player is measured against every central midfielder in the league who has played enough, not only the ones on this list.
Since last season
Rank scores now against the same players' rank scores last season.
Kobbie Mainoo has risen from a rank score of 67 last season to 80 now.
Malick Yalcouyé has no rank score from last season: he did not play 450 league minutes in the top five leagues.
Alex Scott has risen from a rank score of 56 last season to 66 now.
Mateus Fernandes has dropped from a rank score of 71 last season to 60 now.
How this list is made
Central midfielders aged 23 or under in the Premier League 2026/27 with at least 158 league minutes, ranked on key passes per 90, goals per 90, assists per 90, pass accuracy, dribbles per 90 and average rating. Each measure is a percentile against every central midfielder in the league with the same minutes, so a young player is judged by the standard of the whole position, not only of his age group. 5 rounds have been played, so the minutes bar is 158. It rises as the season goes on, until it reaches 450, about five full matches.
The league median for central midfielders on each measure:
Rank them your own way
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