In May 2019, Harvey Elliott became the youngest player in Premier League history, but his long-standing record was broken when Brentford took on Arsenal on Sunday.
The midfielder set the record prior to his move to Liverpool ahead of the 2019/20 season when, at aged 16 years and 30 days old, he came on for Fulham against Wolves.
It’s a record that has stood for over three years, with Elliott, who only turned 19 this year, now one of Liverpool’s first-choice midfield options.
Elliott, though, can no longer boast the title of the youngest to ever make a Premier League appearance, after his record was broken in Arsenal‘s 3-0 win over Brentford on Sunday.
Eyebrows were raised when the Gunners named 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri on the bench, with the midfielder only born in March 2007.
Aged 15 years and 181 days, Ethan Nwaneri becomes the youngest player in #PL history! ?#BREARS | @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/7gepwExUaD
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 18, 2022
And with the Gunners cruising to another victory to move above Man City at the top of the table, manager Mikel Arteta took the opportunity to introduce Nwaneri to the action in the closing stages.
At 15 years and 181 days old, he beats beats Elliott’s record by 214 days, and is the first-ever 15-year-old to appear in the Premier League.
When Elliott set the record, he surpassed fellow Fulham academy graduate Matthew Briggs, who was 16 years and 68 days old when he made his first-team debut in May 2007.
Former Chelsea forward Izzy Brown and Aaron Lennon are the other two players to make up the top five youngest players in Premier League history.
Elliott won’t be too disappointed, with these records meaningless unless players go on to establish successful careers at the top level.
And that is what Elliott is well on his way to doing, having appeared in every game Liverpool have played so far this season, and doing so as one of the Reds’ standout performers.
He scored his first league goal for the Reds in their 9-0 rout of Bournemouth last month.
After playing as a right-sided attacker for the vast majority of his youth career, Elliott has moved into a central midfield role in recent years.
He will spend the next two weeks away with England’s under-21’s, amid reports he wasn’t far away from being included in Gareth Southgate’s senior squad.
Carry on at this rate, and it won’t be long until he makes the cut.
