The most used youngsters in the EFL: Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Gavin Bazunu

With all three play-offs now over and Nottingham Forest finally sealing their return to the Premier League, the English Football League’s season has finally drawn to a close. Whilst the English top-flight remains the most glamorous and most-watched league in the world, the EFL has come in for a lot of love in recent seasons, as many have come to realise that the lower English leagues are the perfect place for many young talents to develop.  

The England squad which made the final of the belated Euro 2020 was filled with players who played in the EFL earlier in their careers, with Jordan Pickford, Kalvin Phillips, Kyle Walker, Harry Kane, John Stones and Mason Mount to name just a few of those. With that in mind, young players making significant contributions in the EFL are getting more attention than ever before as fans and scouts alike hope to spot the next player who might break out at the very top level after cutting their teeth in the Football League.  

In a bid to try and spot some ourselves, here are the top ten players in the EFL under the age of 23, according to minutes played:  

  

Warren O’Hora (Milton Keynes Dons) - 5164 minutes 

The Irish centre-back is one of the older players on this list as he turned 23 in April. He played every available minute of the Don’s season as they narrowly missed out on automatic promotion, before losing to Wycombe Wanderers in the play-offs.  

21/22 was his second season at the club, as he joined on loan from Brighton last season before he was bought for a fee of £200k. Although Dons missed out on promotion, it won’t be a surprise to see him move up a level in the near future.  

  

Michael Cooper (Plymouth Argyle) - 5141 minutes 

One of only two goalkeepers on this list, Cooper is another who played every available minute for Plymouth Argyle in League One. The Pilgrims just missed out on the play-offs in the final day of the season as they lost to an MK Dons side still hoping to break into the top two.  

However, Cooper had an excellent season on an individual level and played his role in keeping 18 clean sheets as Argyle managed the fourth-best defensive record in the league, conceding only 48 goals. 

  

Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth) - 5121 minutes  

The third League One player in a row, Bazunu spent the season on-loan at Portsmouth from Premier League champions, Manchester City. The Irishman is very highly rated and may well get a loan in the Championship next season, after keeping 16 clean sheets and conceding only 51 goals in 46 matches.  

  

Sepp Van Den Berg (Preston North End) - 5085 minutes 

Onto a player plying his trade in the Championship, Sepp Van Den Berg started all but one match for Preston North End in 21/22. The 20-year-old Dutchman is a Liverpool loanee who played the majority of the first half of the season as a right-back, before playing exclusively at centre-back in the second half of the season.  

Given Liverpool’s depth at centre-back, it seems likely that he might get another Championship loan next season, perhaps for a play-off chasing side.  

  

Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest) - 5031 minutes 

Arguably the most impactful young player in the EFL this season was Forest’s Brennan Johnson. The 21-year-old had a highly successful loan at Lincoln City last season and was trusted to start 46 times in the Championship in his first season at the level. He delivered 16 goals and 9 assists in the league, before scoring in both legs of the play-off semi-final as the Reds went on to win promotion.  

Importantly, Johnson performed impressively as both a winger in a front three or as a striker in a front two, the role in which he finished the season. Had Forest lost in the play-off final, he would surely have got a Premier League move but now he will play in the top tier with his hometown club.  

  

Tom Hamer (Burton Albion) - 4909 minutes  

Back to League One, Tom Hamer started all but one match for Burton in 21/22, racking up 45 appearances and playing 90 minutes in every other match. His versatility was a key reason for the 22-year-old playing so often as he played on the right of midfield as well as both sides of a back four.  

  

Jack Tucker (Gillingham) - 4866 minutes 

Playing primarily as a centre-back, Tucker completed 90 minutes in all but two League One fixtures for the Gills.  

Unfortunately, Tucker’s good performances were not enough to stop Gillingham from being relegated to League Two. 

  

Regan Poole (Lincoln City) - 4854 minutes 

Another full-back, Poole played 90 minutes 44 times in 21/22, captaining his side on a few occasions. Although primarily a full back, he played in central defence increasingly in the second half of the season as Lincoln had a much more difficult season, finishing in 17th, as opposed to last season’s top-six finish.  

  

Djed Spence (Nottingham Forest) - 4782 minutes 

A loanee from fellow Championship club, Middlesbrough, Spence will certainly be playing Premier League football next season, with Tottenham linked heavily. Spence played as a right wing-back for Forest and his powerful runs down the right flank and combinations with Brennan Johnson were a huge reason for Forest’s run to the play-offs and subsequent promotion.  

He picked up five assists and three goals in his 4782 league minutes in 21/22 and his next steps will be fascinating as he could explode, should he play right wing-back in Antonio Conte’s system.  

  

George Nurse (Shrewsbury Town) - 4717 minutes  

Before this season, 23-year-old Nurse had never played more than 900 minutes in the league at senior level. That was multiplied five times this season as he played 45 times in League One for Shrewsbury. He played both left-back and centre-back, assisting six goals as his team finished 18th in the league.