The future of English football: Shumaira Mheuka, JJ Gabriel and the young stars destined for the top
The football pyramid is the foundation of development within England’s rich set-up, allowing players from the grassroots level to the pinnacle of the sport, the Premier League, to flourish.
Here, Sports News Blitz Academy writer Stanley Cheeseman looks at five promising talents who may just rise to the very top.
Hindolo Mustapha (Crystal Palace U21s)
After a remarkable Premier League 2 campaign in the 2024/25 season, where he was honoured with the Player of the Season award for the Eagles’ youth side, technical midfielder Hindolo Mustapha sparked international attention from Dutch giants Ajax and Feyenoord and German side 1. FC Nürnberg.
During that season, he netted 11 goals and provided his team-mates with nine assists over 29 matches.
Those figures earned him a loan move to Nürnberg, which, unfortunately, was unsuccessful as he failed to make an appearance.
Palace terminated the loan deal early in response and Mustapha returned to the club on 1 January 2026.
He has since scored in one of his two matches after completing a January loan move to Sheffield Wednesday.
Alongside interest from international clubs within Europe’s top leagues, Hindolo was able to make an impression on Sierra Leone’s first-team manager and former Inter Milan forward, Mohamed Kallon, leading to his national debut in the AFCON qualifying rounds.
Mustapha refused to shy away from the career milestone, smashing a fierce strike through a Zambian defensive block and forcing the goalkeeper to submit to a spectator role.
The 19-year-old shows a relentless desire in his game to drag his team to victory, often using moments of brilliance to do so.
Possessing a lethal finish, Hindolo exploits his power and close control to become a master in transition, driving upfield and punishing opponents.
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Shumaira “Shim” Mheuka (Chelsea U21s)
With the most senior appearances of the players listed, Mheuka was utilised four times in Chelsea’s dominant Conference League campaign, earning the trust of late Chelsea boss Maresca.
After his debut against Astana, Shim became the youngest player to start a European match for the club – at 17 years and 137 days – in a tough test away to Denmark’s FC Copenhagen.
His first, and only, taste of Premier League football came in the final minutes of a 4-0 win over Southampton in front of a home crowd.
Shumaira has since made two appearances for Chelsea, both in the EFL Cup and one notably coming against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the semi-final first leg.
Representing both the U19 and U21 age groups, Mheuka has tallied 22 goal contributions in 18 games combined in the ongoing season, with 15 coming from 13 games in the U21s.
He is currently the top goalscorer of Premier League 2.
This incredible frequency of goals is replicated on the international youth stage, where Mheuka has four goals in two U19 UEFA Championship Qualification games for England this year.
In 2025 alone, Shim netted eight in 15, with a majority coming in national friendlies.
At 6ft 1in, Mheuka is superb in the air whilst remaining nimble enough on the ground to execute fine skills to create space for himself and team-mates.
His finishing is precise and simply lethal both in and around the box.
As a true ‘coach’s dream’, it might only be a matter of time before the young man establishes himself as one of the league’s finest talents.
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JJ Gabriel (Manchester United U18s)
JJ Gabriel may not need an introduction as the striker has gained immense media attention since the age of nine, being labelled ‘Kid Messi’.
The 15-year-old English superstar currently represents United’s Under-18 team, where he has been playing since just 14 years old – a simply astonishing achievement.
JJ has risen to the seismic jump to U18 academy football accordingly, scoring 10 goals in the U18 Premier League Division so far this season, including two hat-tricks, and providing two assists.
His expeditious development hasn’t only been noticed by eager fans, but also by global sports brand Nike.
The company regard him as the future face of their iconic Mercurial line and, as a result, offered him a record-breaking sponsorship deal.
However, Nike had already acted quicker than most, originally signing him at 10 years of age – surpassing the likes of Neymar as one of Nike’s youngest sponsored athletes – before renewing the deal to make it the most lucrative for his age in March 2025.
After his game-defining goal in the FA Youth Cup tie against Peterborough U18s, Gabriel collected another record, this time for being the youngest to score in the competition for United.
He was already the youngest to ever feature in the FA Youth Cup, previously coming on as a 115th-minute substitute in a 2-1 extra-time win over Derby U18s.
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Marli Salmon (Arsenal U21s)
A recent debutant in Arteta’s title-challenging squad, Marli Salmon exhibits composure beyond his years and draws comparisons to renowned colleague William Saliba.
At 16 years of age, Salmon was summoned to the Champions League stage in the 83rd minute to support his team in seeing out a 3-0 victory over Belgian opposition Club Brugge in December.
This was not a case of Arteta throwing youth talent onto the pitch for the sake of it, but rather a symbolic promotion of Arsenal’s incredible youth system through their next centre-back prodigy.
Marli is the perfect illustration of another top talent emerging from Hale End who has carved his way into the first team through a string of impressive performances in the reserves.
Dubbed ‘The Baby Saliba’, the defender offers mature composure on the ball and a physically imposing stature, allowing him to progress his team into the final third whilst shrugging off incoming pressure.
Giving the youngster his FA Cup debut on 11 January 2026 against Portsmouth, Arteta clearly values the teenager as a viable option in defence during their push for silverware in the coming years.
Although not a prolific scorer, Salmon offers impenetrable defensive solidity and leadership, recently captaining Arsenal’s U21s to three points over Leeds United U21s, where he utilised newfound senior experience to marshal his defensive unit to a well-earned clean sheet.
He is also an England international, having represented his country at both the U16 and U17 levels.
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Luca Williams-Barnett (Tottenham U21s)
Williams-Barnett, 17, is an England youth international, racking up 16 appearances across the U17 and U18 age groups in the country’s youth set-up, registering eight goal involvements.
Making his senior debut as an 87th-minute substitute in a 3-0 win over League Two side Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup, Williams-Barnett became the 900th player to represent Spurs and the youngest ever to play for the club in the competition.
This ranks him as the seventh youngest to wear the badge, and he has already begun to make his mark on the world of professional football.
However, his undeniable talent has truly been showcased in the Premier League 2 for Tottenham Hotspur’s U21 side.
His seven goals in 10 fixtures from an attacking midfield role have propelled him to being the fourth-highest scorer in the division, accompanied by an impressive five assists thus far.
With an abundance of quality on the ball, Williams-Barnett controls the game and holds the rare trait of being able to dictate a result when his team is lacking inspiration.
A composed sniper in front of goal and a magician in the final third, Luca is undoubtedly progressing towards regular Premier League appearances.
The Englishman is on track for another outstanding season after making the step up from the U18s last season, where he featured 24 times, scoring an astonishing 23 goals and assisting nine.
Whilst the senior side struggles with injuries, Williams-Barnett could be called upon for first-team duties to drive Spurs forward with his attacking flair and exceptional technical ability in the centre of the park.
