Chelsea-bound teenager ranked as Irish League's most exciting talent while Linfield duo also feature

A whopping 35 teenagers have made an appearance in Northern Ireland’s top-flight with Ballymena United’s Luke Hawe the youngest – he was aged only 15 years, nine months and nine days when introduced as a substitute against Linfield earlier this month.

We tasked Hutchinson with finding the 10 players currently playing in the Premiership aged 21 or under that he’s most excited about.

NOTE: The players had to have made five or more league appearances to qualify for the list.

Chris Atherton (Glenavon, 16)

Sam: "He's already agreed to go to Chelsea.

"It's great for him to get these minutes in the first team and he ranks above average for dribbles per 90 and has completed 71% of his total dribbles.

"He has played 17 games and has two assists - what he's doing at his age is incredible. That experience of playing men's football will help him thrive for Chelsea, whether he plays for their U18s or U21s.

"You've seen that transition with Braiden Graham and Aodhan Doherty with how well they are doing across the water, and I'm sure the same will happen with Atherton.

"He made his debut at 13 and it's great to see he's now getting so many minutes under Paddy McLaughlin, who is a fantastic coach. He's one I will keep an eye out for being a future international."

Matthew Orr (Linfield, 17)

Sam: "When you compare him with centre-backs aged under 21, he ranks top for progressive passes and number of duels.

"It looks like a lot of teams around English Championship level are interested in him - I'm excited to see where he goes this summer and Linfield will be happy to get another good paycheque for developing a young player.

"David Healy needs a lot of credit because he's giving young players a lot of opportunities and they're getting to move across the water. He's a great player."

Kieran Offord (Linfield, 20)

Sam: "He's only 20 and has 13 goal contributions in 24 games (across spells at Crusaders and Linfield).

"He has a high rank of 91 for dribbles per 90 and is an exciting player. He will be delighted to have got his first Linfield goal against Larne - it's probably the goal that has secured the league.

"He's a brilliant player and someone who Linfield will be hoping can continue to grow. He's one that will be exciting to watch develop in the next season or two."

Shea Kearney (Cliftonville, 20)

Sam: "Shea is a high-profile name and was nominated for Young Player of the Year last season, but he has kicked on again this year.

"That's great to see because sometimes when you have one good season it can be tough to go again, but he is progressing.

"He has a percentile rank of 94 for defensive duels won per 90, scores above average in progressive passes and dribbles which shows he has an attacking side to his game as well.

"He's at the best place at the minute, developing under Jim Magilton and Gerard Lyttle, and who knows what can happen in the future for him."

Dylan Sloan (Larne, 20)

Sam: "He ranks above average for through balls in the league and ranks very highly for defensive duels won, which is something that people mightn't think of.

"He's a very competitive midfielder and very technical. He has signed a new contract at Larne, who are going through a transitional period, so to have the likes of Sloan, Tiarnan O'Connor, Josh Kee coming in, that could be very exciting.

"There's loads of exciting players at Larne that they could build a squad around and challenge for the title again."

Daithi McCallion (Ballymena United, 19)

Sam: "I really enjoy Daithi's performances any time I watch Ballymena and I know he's highly-rated.

"He reads the game brilliantly, is so competitive, has a percentile rank of 90 for interceptions and 98 for shots blocked when you compare him to centre-backs in the league.

"He's someone I think in the next couple of years could get a great move across the water and I know Derry City have a buy-back clause.

"I won't be surprised if that's on the cards some day. He's a top, top player and is far above average in the number of aerial duels he has won."

James Douglas (Glentoran, 19)

Sam: "The first time I watched him was for Northern Ireland Schoolboys against England and he teared it up - the English midfield couldn't get close to him and I thought he was unbelievable.

"I didn't expect he'd be playing so often for Glentoran this season, but he ranks really highly for aerial duels and scores above average for dribbles per 90, so his stats are decent.

"When you're a team across the water looking at him, you look at those physical metrics and his athleticism - it looks like a player you could mould into being someone who could play at a decent level across the water."

Lewis Barr (Crusaders, 21)

Sam: "Lewis Barr really impressed me last season when he came back from his loan spell at H&W Welders.

"He got a lot of minutes there and I remember someone who watched the Welders a lot saying he was a really big fan of him.

"He's done really well this year and I'm glad to see he has stepped up and is making the most of his opportunity to play in the first team.

"He scores above average for progressive passes per 90 and for defensive duels won per 90. He has a high rank for dribbles for a centre-back so he has the ability to bring the ball out from the back.

"He's in the perfect learning environment playing beside Jimmy Callacher every week - there's no one better in the Irish League to learn from."

Oisin Devlin (Larne, 18)

Sam: "I'm a big fan of Oisin.

"He played in midfield for the Northern Ireland Schoolboys alongside James Douglas and was the captain.

"I went to see him play against Newington for Institute and the things he was doing at 17 were unbelievable. The way he was taking the ball, his aggression, and he had a decent loan spell at Ballymena.

"His statistics show he ranks above average for progressive passes and he has a significant number of duels.

"It was great learning for him to spend time playing in the Premiership and with that full-time environment at Larne, and with some players leaving, he could get more of a chance."

Harry Lynch (Glenavon, 18)

Sam: "I'm a very big fan of Harry Lynch.

"There are four or five players at Glenavon that you could talk about with the likes of Paul McGovern, Sean Carlin and Isaac Baird, but what sets Lynch apart is he's so competitive and has confidence in his ability to play at that level.

"I went to watch him last year playing for Dollingstown against Moyola Park and I remember in the first minute he was screaming instructions at 17.

"He has done well this season - he has a percentile rank of 90 for defensive duels won, which is really impressive for someone aged 18. I could see him doing very well in the Irish League."