In Focus: Five Premier League loanees out to impress

Becoming established in a Premier League first team is not a straightforward task for any youngster.

After all, even if a player possesses all the talent in the world, the stakes are so high in England’s top flight that managers often do not have the time or patience to blood their emerging talents.

With experience so vital to a player’s development, seeking a temporary move elsewhere is often the best way for wonderkids to boost their long-term prospects of success.

Here, we look at five exciting starlets hoping to impress their parent clubs while out on loan this season.

Rhys Williams (Liverpool to Swansea)

Liverpool’s injury woes in central defence last season saw several players handed opportunities to impress at Anfield — and Rhys Williams took his with both hands.

The 20-year-old academy graduate’s only previous experience of senior football was a loan spell at Kidderminster Harriers, but he displayed composure beyond his years when making 19 appearances across all competitions for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Playing alongside fellow rookie Nat Phillips, Williams helped the Merseysiders to vital wins in their final five Premier League clashes and in turn secure a spot in this season’s Champions League.

While the return of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez naturally meant a drop down the pecking order this term, Klopp has been quick to extend Williams’ contract and then secure his young star a loan switch to Championship outfit Swansea.

Well known for playing an attractive brand of football, a full season with the Swans looks like the perfect next step in Williams’ development.

Reiss Nelson (Arsenal to Feyenoord)

If there are any positives to come out of Arsenal’s recent struggles, it has been the emergence of promising youngsters in the Gunners ranks — and Reiss Nelson still hopes to be part of a brighter future in North London.

Over four years have passed since the winger was handed his first-team debut by Arsene Wenger but he has found himself restricted to just 48 appearances in all competitions, with many of those cameos.

During an impressive loan spell with Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in 2018-19, Julian Nagelsmann — now boss of Bayern Munich — labelled Nelson an "incredible player" and suggested the youngster could reach the heights of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

While a combination of injuries and limited chances have severely hindered his progress since then, it is not too late for the 21-year-old to turn things around.

A season-long loan at Feyenoord, who play some of the most attacking football in the Eredivisie, could be just what Nelson needs to kickstart his promising career.

Billy Gilmour (Chelsea to Norwich)

It is fair to say that the eyes of a nation will be on Billy Gilmour this season as the Scottish starlet looks to get a first full Premier League campaign under his belt at Norwich.

The Chelsea midfielder, 20, arrived at Carrow Road with a burgeoning reputation having delivered a handful of extremely promising performances under both Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel.

It is at international level where excitement has truly reached fever pitch however, with Gilmour’s man-of-the-match performance in Scotland’s Euro 2020 0-0 draw with old foes England endearing him even further to the Tartan Army.

On the bench for his parent club’s Champions League final triumph over Manchester City, it is clear that those at Stamford Bridge believe the youngster has what it takes to become a Blues regular.

Though this campaign could be a challenging one in Norfolk, the experience looks sure to be an invaluable one for Gilmour.

James Garner (Manchester United to Nottingham Forest)

The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo sent a very clear message of Manchester United’s immediate intentions — but the Red Devils hierarchy are always searching for their next homegrown superstar.

Midfielder James Garner, 20, ranks highly on the list of potential candidates having captained several youth groups while rising through the ranks at Carrington.

A successful loan spell at Nottingham Forest during the second half of 2020-21 saw him net four times in 20 appearances and — after signing an extension at Old Trafford this summer — Garner has returned to the City Ground for this campaign too.

Speaking after extending his current deal, Garner said: "Signing this new contract shows the faith that the club has in me, it gives me extra motivation and means so much for me and my family.

"I want to be a big player for this club one day, that is my ultimate aim and I’ll be working every day to make that happen."

With the likes of Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood to look up to, Garner will hope another strong loan can catapult him into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long-term plans.

Troy Parrott (Tottenham to MK Dons)

There was real excitement when Tottenham decided to send young Irish forward Troy Parrott across the capital to Millwall last season — but the move ended up being somewhat of a disaster.

Parrott, 19, forged a reputation as one of Spurs’ most exciting prospects after scoring a hatful of goals in the UEFA Youth League during the 2018-19 campaign and even flirted with their first-team squad as a result.

However, his hotly anticipated loan switch to the Lions failed to catch fire after an early-season injury left the teenager struggling to break back into Gary Rowett’s starting XI.

A loan move to Ipswich went slightly better in the second half of last campaign but there is a feeling that this term’s temporary move to MK Dons is a pivotal one in terms of his future in North London.

Things have started promisingly for the Republic of Ireland international with two goals and an assist in his opening five League One appearances — he will be desperate to finish high up the division’s goalscoring charts and show his parent club he is the real deal.