The Carabao Cup third round tie kicks-off today and it may not be as popular or interesting to most fans but for Premier League young guns and fringe players, it’s an opportunity to showcase their worth. The Carabao cup or the League Cup is where Premier League teams field the next generation of talented teenagers into men’s football for the first time.
But things have changed, top teams may not feature as many teenagers as they might have done before, mainly because in the current era teams are stockpiling players and they have more players than they need. They have to play them sometimes and League Cup is the perfect platform. Teams playing seniors does not mean youngsters are not good enough, it simply means that the teams have way too many unwanted senior players.
However, the tradition hasn't ended all-together, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs are all expected to call on young players with lower league opposition visiting the Premier League heavyweights.
Here, we look at few youngsters who may be involved in the League Cup:
The 17-year-old is rated as most talented player of his generation and was given his senior team debut in the Europa League against FC Koln. He came on for Theo Walcott and made an impression on the game, showing confidence and control. Nelson is a direct and skilful winger, who has had success at youth team for both England and Arsenal, and Wenger is keen to start integrating him into the first team.
Manchester City may have plenty of stars in their teams but Pep Guardiola highly rates 17-year-old midfielder Foden, who has been training with the first team for the last few months and even been on the bench. Foden may not be the biggest player on the pitch but has the technical skills to wriggle away from opponents and is seen as the long-term successor to David Silva.
Manchester United fans view Angel Gomes as one of the brightest talents in United’s youth team. The 17-year-old talented winger likes to cut in from the left and shoot with the right and has the very good balance with the ball. Mourinho might be tempted to give Gomes chance to prove himself and show what he is capable of in front of Old Trafford faithful.
Another talented 17-year-old who is likely to feature in the League Cup is Boothe, who has been playing for the under 23 squads despite being only 17 shows how much faith the club has in him. The central midfielder impressed Pochettino in the pre-season and was even on the bench for Spurs 1-1 draw against Burnley.