ALABAMA - Seven South American teenagers have seen gametime in the Premier League so far this season. Some of them, like Alejandro Garnacho, have elevated their role, becoming crucial players for their teams. The Manchester United winger has established himself as a regular in Erik ten Hag's starting XI, contributing 7 goals (5 goals, 2 assists) in 26 games played across all competitions this season.
With the imminent arrival of another young Latino star to the league, as Manchester City finalize a deal for Claudio Echeverri, The Latin Times takes a dives into some of the South American gems that have been in action this Premier League season.
Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
The young Argentine winger has been one of the best players for Manchester United. No other teenager has played more PL minutes than Garnacho this season (1,066). In terms of his attacking returns, only Scott McTominay (5) has scored more PL goals than Garnacho (3).
He made his debut for the Argentina senior team last year, collecting a total of three caps during 2023.
Garnacho even won the Premier League Goal of the Month in November thanks to a fabulous bicycle kick against Everton.
Julio Enciso (Brighton)
Even though he has been recovering from an injury for most part of the season, Julio Enciso remains as one of the top young talents in the Premier League. Since his move to Brighton during the 2022-23 season, he has amassed 28 games in all competitions for the Seagulls. Out of his 4 PL goals, three of them came against the league's 'Big 6' teams (Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City).
His strike against Man City last season was nominated for the 2023 FIFA Puskas Award, which recognizes the best goal scored in the calendar year.
Enciso made his debut for the Paraguayan senior team at just 17 years old, becoming the youngest debutant with the 'Albirroja' since 2009.
Jhon Durán (Aston Villa)
The Colombian striker has been one of the many surprises coming from Aston Villa's team this season. In 21 games and with just over 500 minutes played in all comps., Durán has managed to score 4 goals.
He made his professional debut at the age of just 15 in the Colombian league with Junior, andhis performances in the South American continent granted him a move to England, where he has shined as Ollie Watkins' backup. Durán has also collected eight caps with Colombia, scoring one goal against Japan.
50 - Jhon Duran scored only 50 seconds after being substituted on, the quickest an Aston Villa substitute has scored in a Premier League match since John Carew against Everton in October 2009 (46 seconds). Hungry. pic.twitter.com/CjubsLhkTL
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 20, 2023
Facundo Buonanotte (Brighton)
Just like Enciso, Facundo Buonanotte has found in Brighton a place to develop as a footballer. With the many injuries suffered by Roberto De Zerbi's team, Buonanotte has been getting more opportunities, playing in 16 games across all competitions this season. Out of his 15 PL appearances, the 19-year-old started in six of those games scoring one goal against Chelsea.
Last June, the Argentine got his first call up with the senior national team, making his debut in a 2-0 win over Indonesia.
Matheus França (Crystal Palace)
An emerging talent that arrived to the Premier League just last Summer, Crystal Palace Matheus França has been getting more and more opportunities by coach Roy Hogdson in the past few weeks. He made his PL debut against Newcastle in October, and so far added four more PL appearances to his name.
Bought from Flamengo during the Summer of 2023, França excelled with the Brazilian team since an early age. He made his Flamengo debut with just 17 years old and remains as the 2nd youngest scorer in Copa Libertadores history for Flamengo (18 years, 8 months), only behind Vinícius Júnior.
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