The full-time whistle blew on the 2022/23 Championship season on Sunday, with now only the play-offs to look forward to. Burnley won the title, Sheffield United finished second and we saw Wigan Athletic, Blackpool and Reading get relegated.
It’s been another campaign in which young players have taken centre stage, and that has been proven after the complete rebrand of the Clarets, with Vincent Kompany recruiting several youngsters to win the title. We’ve also seen Joao Pedro secure a big money move to Brighton & Hove Albion, joining for a club record fee.
Alex Scott was crowned the Young Player of the Year at the EFL Awards at the end of April, with fellow nominee Amad Diallo not taking it too well. The Manchester United winger has got 13 goals and three assists, and his beauty of a strike helped guide the Black Cats into the play-offs. As for Scott, he scored one league goal and got five assists, and remains the talk of the Championship, with Brighton and Liverpool just two of his transfer admirers.
Hayden Hackney was the other nominee, and he could come up against Diallo in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadiu next month. Hackney has marked his breakout year in the second tier by getting four assists and three goals from 34 appearances.
Below are the 20 players either 21-years-old or younger ranked by their performance rating in the Championship this season, as rated by WhoScored. WhoScored is used by the EFL to decide weekly, monthly and seasonal awards.
1. Dennis Cirkin (Sunderland)
WhoScored rating: 6.60 Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images
2. Tim Iroegbunam (QPR, on loan from Aston Villa)
WhoScored rating: 6.60 Photo: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
3. Charlie Patino (Blackpool, on loan from Arsenal)
WhoScored rating: 6.64 Photo: Cameron Smith/Getty Images
4. Ethan Laird (QPR, on loan from Manchester United)
WhoScored rating: 6.66 Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images