5 Championship youngsters who could be Premier League quality

#4. Max Aarons

West Bromwich Albion v Norwich City - Sky Bet Championship

Onto the defensive side of the game now, and the only player on this list born in the 21st century. 19-year-old Max Aarons, the cousin of former Newcastle winger Rolando Aarons, may only be playing his first season of senior football, but there can be no doubt that he has set the bar extremely high in terms of his potential.

He has firmly established himself as Norwich City's first-choice right-back, starting 33 of their 38 league games, after spending 2 years in the club's youth set-up. Alongside fellow English youngster Jamal Lewis, Norwich's left-back, there seems to be an exciting homegrown pair of full-backs at the club presently.

Given Norwich's general dominance in the Championship this season, he hasn't had much defensive work to do, but despite that, Aarons has racked up 2.9 ball recoveries per game, winning the ball back often, which is crucial in helping Norwich City implement their possession-oriented gameplan. Another aspect of Norwich's play sees them push their full-backs high up the pitch, encouraging them to join the attack, and this is where Aarons can be extremely dangerous.

He has already notched up 2 goals and 5 assists so far this campaign, very good numbers for a right-back. He also provides 0.8 key passes per game and completes 1.4 dribbles every 90 minutes. Completing an average of 43 passes per game, at a success rate of 80.1%, it is entirely possible that Aarons could go the Gareth Bale route and develop from a full-back to a winger later in his career.

He made his England U-19s debut in late 2018, and rumors of him being called up to the U-21 side for the European Championships this summer may not be far from the truth. For now, however, it has been reported that both Tottenham and Manchester City are interested in him, and are willing to pay a fee to the tune of £15 million.

Such a fee could prove excellent value for money if he were to develop into the player his coaches clearly believe he has the ability to do. It would also prove to be a tidy profit for Norwich, who signed him for free from Luton Town.