We’ve been putting together the numbers, chewing over the fat, and coming up with the very best young side that League One could field.
With so many top-flight academies hoarding players, it’s easy to forget that some of England’s best have put in the hard yards in the lower divisions. Indeed, League One is awash with talented players 21 and under, all waiting for the chance to impress on a bigger stage. Some might be on loan, others emerging with their parent clubs in the division.
We’ve sat down and looked at them all, from the bottom to the top, and come up with a team of XI players to keep a firm eye on over the coming seasons. Have we picked your team’s Under 21 star? Is there a breakout player we’ve missed? Let us know on social media.
GK: Matt Cox
It’s no real surprise that the best keeper under 21 is a loan player. Over the years, many top young keepers have made a name for themselves in League One, with Carl Rushworth perhaps the most recent. He’s on the cusp of an England call, and if he steps up, we’re backing Matt Cox of Bristol Rovers, on loan from Brentford, to take his England Under 21 slot.
RB: Dion Rankine
We promise you, they’re not all loans! Rankine is on loan at Exeter City from Chelsea, and he’s been incredibly exciting this season. He’s played 31 games, and he looks comfortable on the ball, able to beat a man, and with a good eye for a pass. He’s surely Championship bound next season.
LB: Sean Roughan
Roughan is the first club-owned player on our list. He’s operating at left centre back for Lincoln City, but is equally as comfortable at left back. He’s amassed almost 100 appearances in his career so far, and is quickly emerging as a real talent at the LNER Stadium.
Late winners😍💙 pic.twitter.com/WkrL0kM6ux
— Charlie Hughes (@CharlieHughes32) April 15, 2024
CB: Charlie Hughes
Hughes broke Lincoln City hearts with a goal for Wigan this weekend, and it capped off a mammoth display by the homegrown defender. He was involved in the first goal, and played with all the style and confidence of a man twice his age. Wigan fans are convinced he’s Premier League-bound, and there’s little evidence to suggest otherwise.
CB: Ronnie Edwards
Edwards has been linked with big moves for a while now, and quite how he is still with promotion-chasing Posh is a question they ask themselves regularly at London Road. The former Barnet man played 34 times in the Championship with Posh, and if they don’t go up, he’s going to be hot property in the summer.
CM: Thelo Aasgaard
The Norwegian Under 21 international joined Wigan’s academy at the age of 15 and has quickly become one of the most exciting players at the DW Stadium. His contract runs to 2026, but there’s no chance he’s going to be there by then if he keeps up his levels of performance, which include eight goals and three assists this season.
CM: Karamoko Dembélé
Loan players make up a big part of the League One landscape, but few have the sort of past Karamoko Dembélé has. He was at Celtic, grabbing attention for playing seven age groups above his natural level. He belongs to French side Brest now but has been a big part of Blackpool’s push-up towards the Championship.
Tidy finish from Abu Kamara today 😎#NCFC pic.twitter.com/Lf2VFxs0nf
— The Pink Un (@pinkun) April 13, 2024
RM: Abu Kamara
Kamara has been a revelation at Fratton Park, and should Pompey finally make it back to the second tier, he’ll be right up there as one of their players of the season. With 18 goal involvements, the on-loan winger has been sensational, getting the crowd off their seats time and again. He could line up against them next season, as his exploits will surely have alerted parent club Norwich City to his talents.
LM: Tyler Goodrham
We like it when we come to a player owned by his club, and in Goodrham, Oxford have an absolute gem. Tidy on the ball, confident but not cocky, the youngster has been a big part of their recent upturn in fortunes. He’s still only 19, but plenty of scouts will have noted his 12 goal involvements this season and his Ireland Under 21 call-up.
CF: Kieran Bowie
The Fulham youngster is on loan at Northampton, a side ambling in the middle of the pack following promotion last season. He’s bagged nine goals for the Cobblers in his second stint at Sixfields, having started life at Raith Rovers. One wonders if the Kirkcaldy-born striker might be on for a permanent move in the summer.
CF: Joe Taylor
Having started the season at Colchester United, Taylor joined a Lincoln City side that had not won in seven matches in January. Since then, they’ve lost one in 17, and the on-loan Luton man has bagged nine goals, helping to secure a Player of the Month award.
