The Premier League has announced the contenders for the Young Player of the Season award as the brightest and best youngsters are recognised for their performances.
This year’s shortlist of nominees contains some big names and will be decided by a combination of a public vote and a panel of football experts.
But there is one nagging question that fans may be asking when they look at the shortlist: the nominees this year include 24-year-old Alexander Isak, plus 23-year-olds Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and William Saliba.
In fact, only one player is below the age of 21, with Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo, who turned 19 last month, the youngest player on the list.
In the case of Foden, the Manchester City and England man made his club debut six-and-a-half years ago and could have a sixth Premier League winners’ medal by the time the Premier League Young Player of the Season award is dished out.
That has led to criticism that younger players who have just broken through are being pushed out of contention for the prize by relative veterans of the game, in terms of experience. So just how young is young when it comes to the Premier League Young Player of the Season award?
What is the cutoff age for the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season award?
The Premier League’s Young Player of the Season award is open to players who were aged 23 or under at the start of the 2023/24 season.
That means this will be the last year of eligibility for Isak, Haaland and Foden and Saliba, but the other shortlisted players - Mainoo, Saliba, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and Destiny Udogie - could again be up for the award in 12 months time.
What about the PFA Young Player of the Year award?
While the Premier League Young Player of the Season defines ‘young’ as 23 and under, the more established PFA Young Player of the Year responded to criticism that the 23 cutoff was too old by reducing the age of eligibility in 2021.
Players must now have been aged 21 or under as of July 1 immediately preceding the start of the season in order to be running for this award, which has been dished out since the 1973/74 season and has a roll call of winners that contains some of the best players of the past 50 years.
That means we can expect a much more youthful shortlist when that is announced, with two-time winner Foden too old to be considered.
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