When Andoni Iraola's Liverpool welcome Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton to Anfield this Sunday, both sides will have young players eager to prove their worth and help their teams secure victory.
Facing a relentless autumn calendar and navigating critical rotation pathways, both managers are fast-tracking their brightest young stars to secure an edge in this Premier League heavyweight fixture.
With both sides looking to control possession and exploit space in wide areas, these six young players could have important roles to play.
Liverpool's young players to watch
1. Rio Ngumoha
Age: 18 years old
Verified 2026/27 Stats: 5 Premier League Apps | 3 Champions League Apps | 2 UCL Assists | 20 Dribbles Completed in Europe
Why Watch Him: The 18-year-old English winger has made an encouraging impact for Liverpool this season.
Fresh off a stellar mid-week Champions League performance where he supplied two brilliant assists in Liverpool's 4-3 thriller against Villarreal, Ngumoha's electric 1v1 execution and unmatched confidence will be Iraola's ultimate tool to stretch Brighton's defensive line.
2. Trey Nyoni
Age: 19 years old
Verified 2026/27 Stats: 5 Premier League Apps | 2 UCL Apps | 91% Premier League Passing Accuracy | 93% UCL Passing Completion
Why Watch Him: The highly composed English midfielder continues to look completely unfazed by top-flight senior football.
Functioning seamlessly in central midfield, Nyoni logged 81 full minutes mid-week against Villarreal, displaying absolute press resistance under heavy tracking.
His capacity to execute clean, risk-averse distributions while building out from the back will anchor Liverpool's central progression pathways.
3. Jeremy Jacquet
Age: 21 years old
Verified 2026/27 Stats: 7 Premier League Apps (4 Starts) | 3 UCL Apps | 43 Clearances | 91% Domestic Pass Accuracy
Why Watch Him: The towering French youth defender has stepped up with astonishing maturity to secure the backline during recent first-team rotations.
Jacquet is an absolute powerhouse in central duels, executing 10 successful tackles and winning the majority of his structural ground battles.
Facing a fluid, high-pressing Brighton attack, his tactical positioning and distribution under pressure will undergo the ultimate litmus test.
Brighton's young players to watch
4. Malick Yalcouye
Age: 20 years old
Verified 2026/27 Stats: 7 Premier League Apps | 2 Goals | 89% Domestic Passing Accuracy
Why Watch Him:The dynamic 20-year-old midfielder has adjusted to English football with frightening ease.
Yalcouye plays with an exciting layer of tactical flexibility, fresh off logging a full 90-minute defensive masterclass mid-week against FK Jablonec in Europe.
His exceptional capability to halt transitions and recycle possession accurately makes him Brighton's vital central safeguard to disrupt Liverpool's fluid engine room.
5. Jack Hinshelwood
Age: 21 years old
Verified 2026/27 Stats: 2 Premier League Apps | 3 Goals | 76% Passing Completion
Why Watch Him: Functioning seamlessly as a highly versatile inverted option, the English tactical Swiss Army knife is proving incredibly clinical in localized space.
Despite limited minutes due to tactical adjustments, Hinshelwood has remarkably struck 3 Premier League goals already this campaign from just 3 shots on target, making him a major vertical weapon pushing up from deeper lines.
6. Ibrahim Osman
Age: 21 years old
Verified 2026/27 Stats: 3 Premier League Apps | 1 UEFA Conference League Start | 3 Dribbles Completed
Why Watch Him: The explosive 21-year-old Ghanaian winger utilises a remarkably low center of gravity and sudden bursts of acceleration to isolate full-backs.
Fresh off completing a highly active 90-minute shift out wide mid-week in Europe, Osman's raw vertical speed and direct counter-attacking profile offer Brighton a dangerous asset to catch Liverpool's defensive structure off guard.
What young players can learn from Liverpool vs Brighton
Be Efficient With The Little Chances You Get: Jack Hinshelwood’s 3 goals from 3 shots on target proves that young players don't need 80 touches to dictate matches. Arriving into key box zones with sharp timing and ruthless execution transforms squad rotators into irreplaceable match-winners.
Press Resistance Keeps You in Top-Flight Midfields: Notice Trey Nyoni’s 93% UCL pass completion under heavy European pressing. Modern coaches will trust a teenage midfielder in high-stakes fixtures only if they consistently protect the ball and eliminate unforced central turnovers.
Master 1v1 Isolation: Rio Ngumoha’s 20 completed dribbles in European play show that elite wingers balance flair with purpose. Winning your individual 1v1 duel out wide forces the opposition low block to collapse, opening half-space gaps for arriving midfielders.
