The Wonderkid Power Rankings: Man Utd and Spurs starlets surge into latest Top 10

After every week of club football, our journalists comb through the stats and watch the tape before piecing together our latest countdown of the most in-form young players in the Premier League right now – and the result is the Wonderkid Power Rankings.

Last time out, Aston Villa’s hugely impressive Johan Manzambi claimed top spot for the second time in three weeks, but can he cling on after failing to score or provide a goal against either Barcelona or Manchester United? Or will a member of the chasing pack pip him to the post and be crowned our number one for the next two weeks while we wait for the international break to be done with?

In a week of considerable change and churn, three players drop out of our rankings: Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong both lose their places after failing to get on the field, while Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood hasn’t kept up his form enough to maintain his place in the Top 10. That means three new entries, all of whom have been a part of this season’s rankings already…

10. Archie Gray – Tottenham Hotspur (re-entry)

Gray almost made the Top 10 last week after his headed goal against Crystal Palace but we ultimately judged that he hadn’t yet put together a sufficiently long run of good performances – another decent outing in the 1-0 loss to Leeds was enough to edge into the rankings, however. Gray created a couple of presentable chances and carried the ball well, while putting in a completely mistake-free defensive shift. It wasn’t necessarily the most impactful game we’ve seen from the 20-year-old, but he was rock solid.

9. Harrison Armstrong – Everton (⬇️1)

Armstrong showed us both his strengths and his weaknesses against Coventry City. In terms of the issues, his continued lack of composure or creativity in the final third has limited his impact on several matches, and he was dribbled past three times, which is too many for a defensive midfielder. On the other hand, he forced five turnovers including two intercepted passes and carried it forward with confidence, creating the base for several attacking moves. A mixed bag from a player who has real quality but also one or two undeniable limitations at this early stage of his career.

8. Charalampos Kostoulas – Brighton & Hove Albion (⬇️3)

The Greek striker’s hot streak in front of goal has most definitely come to an end. Benched for the Europa League win over Getafe, Kostoulas played the majority of the game against ten-man Brentford but passed up each of the three shooting chances he got himself on the end of. None were all that straightforward (although he perhaps should have got a wayward header from near the penalty spot on target) but the misses made the point that he’s cooled off a little after a superb run of form.

7. Rayan – AFC Bournemouth (re-entry)

After struggling against Leeds, it was good to see Rayan get back at it with a brilliant goal against Sparta Praha in the Europa League, a left-footed effort which the Brazilian drilled inside the near post with power and precision from over 20 yards out. He didn’t manage to repeat the trick in the Premier League against Ipswich Town but did create three shooting chances and put in a huge shift out of possession – he completed four tackles from four attempts and got involved in 15 aerial duels, which are bizarre statistics for a winger but also a testament to his work ethic.

6. Josh King – Fulham (⬇️2)

King didn’t manage to celebrate his first call-up to the senior England squad with a particularly noteworthy performance this weekend. Although he was typically energetic, all his buzzing around didn’t result in him creating a single chance and he passed up on a presentable opportunity of his own, shooting wide across goal from the edge of the six-yard box. That’s zero goals and one assist since the last international break now for King, who has played better than the stats suggest but whose first cap might owe more to his early-season form.

5. Trey Nyoni – Liverpool (⬆️5)

Nyoni was rather harshly dropped to the bench for Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, but looked sharp and effective after coming on for the last 20 minutes or so – and made even more of a mark during midweek, when he was the brightest spark in an otherwise disappointing Champions League defeat to Fenerbahçe.

Not only did he score his first Liverpool goal with a controlled half-volley from the edge of the area, but he was outstanding both on and off the ball throughout, and his nine forced recoveries and three interceptions complemented a string of surging, confident runs through the middle. Liverpool have more experienced holding midfielders, but none of them are playing better than the 19-year-old.

4. Kobbie Mainoo – Manchester United (re-entry)

We don’t normally catapult players from outside the Top 10 right into the top five, but Mainoo already had a high placing before he lost his spot due to injury – and he was absolutely outstanding this week, especially in the Champions League against Roma.

Seemingly rested and refreshed, Mainoo totalled 20 turnovers and 13 wins in one-on-one duels over the course of his two games, but while he was good against Aston Villa in that extraordinary 4-4 draw, he was even better in the Champions League when he constantly won possession back and surged forwards with the ball to spark attacks. It’s not unfair to suggest that United might not have come back from 2-0 down without his unceasing energy and drive.

3. Jérémy Jacquet – Liverpool (⬇️1)

While Jacquet certainly wasn’t signed for his scoring potential, it wouldn’t do his Power Rankings placings any harm if he could work out how to get a header on target – he missed very presentable opportunities from corners against both Fenerbahçe and Palace this week, with the miss against the former being particularly poor.

That miss also capped arguably the Frenchman’s worst performance for Liverpool so far, when he struggled badly both positionally and in one-on-one situations. He might have fallen further than number three had he not looked much more like his usual self on Sunday, when his defending was much improved even if his accuracy from close range wasn’t.

2. Johan Manzambi – Aston Villa (⬇️1)

Manzambi’s time at the top was brief, and he slides into second place after a week which contained two very disparate performances, both slightly disappointing in their own way: A distinctly ordinary outing at the Camp Nou, followed by a more energetic display at Old Trafford which, nonetheless, bore little fruit.

Against Manchester United, the Swiss midfielder huffed and puffed admirably, winning 10 of 14 ground duels and recovering possession five times (numbers a holding midfielder would be extremely proud of) but couldn’t get anything going in the final third, which is where he’s meant to be earning his corn. Against Barcelona in the Champions League, however, he was a non-factor and barely got himself on (or even near) the ball for an hour before he was hauled off. That game, more than anything else, cost him top spot.

1. Luka Vušković – Brighton & Hove Albion (⬆️2)

For the last two months, Jacquet and Manzambi have hogged first place in our Power Rankings – but finally they’ve made way for another champion, with Croatian centre-back Vušković claiming the crown for the very first time after hovering around the top five for weeks on end.

Vušković played 45 minutes against Getafe and the full 90 against Brentford and not only kept one-and-a-half clean sheets but let almost nothing get past him. The stats are hugely impressive: 12 aerial duels won, six on the ground, eight turnovers and 10 clearances. The stats tell the truth, too, and the Croatian has been utterly dominant in the air and on the floor over the past few weeks, all while using possession well on the regular occasions that he wins it back. He’s been superb - the complete centre-half, and a worthy number one.