Monga becomes second-youngest Premier League player ever

News

Leicester brought on a 15-year-old who was born in 2009 against Newcastle

Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga became the second-youngest player ever to feature in a Premier League match, aged 15 years and 271 days. 

Leicester were already 3-0 down in Monday night's match against Newcastle United at King Power Stadium when Monga got his first taste of Premier League action as a 74th-minute substitute.

Only Ethan Nwaneri, who came on in stoppage time of Arsenal's 3-0 win at Brentford on 18 September 2022, was younger, aged 15y 181d.

Due to his age Monga, who was born in 2009, had to wear a shirt that did not feature Leicester's main sponsor, a betting company.

Ten youngest players in PL history
Player Club Match Age
Ethan Nwaneri ARS BRE 0-3 ARS 15y 181d
Jeremy Monga LEI LEI 0-3 NEW 15y 271d
Harvey Elliott FUL WOL 1-0 FUL 16y 30d
Matthew Briggs FUL MID 3-1 FUL 16y 68d
Isaiah Brown WBA WBA 2-3 WIG 16y 117d
Aaron Lennon LEE TOT 2-1 LEE 16y 129d
Jose Baxter EVE EVE 2-3 BLB 16y 191d
Gary McSheffrey COV AVL 1-4 COV 16y 198d
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy AVL SUN 0-4 AVL 16y 198d
Reece Oxford WHU ARS 0-2 WHU 16y 236d

Leicester head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy admitted that he had no qualms about introducing Monga on Monday night.

"You could see glimpses of his great qualities," Van Nistelrooy enthused. "He's a great winger and has speed. He's a fantastic talent, a great boy. He deserved these minutes and hopefully, more to come."