League Two has one of the most unpredictable leagues so far this season, and not just that, the league has also seen some top-notch performances from some brilliant young players. Louie Barry, Jake Young, Micheal Mellon, and Lewis Payne – all aged 23 or under have stepped up for their respective teams and have taken the EFL by storm.
The below visualisation shows the expected goal contributions of players (midfielders and attackers) aged 23 or under at the start of the season. Players who have played 300 minutes or more have been considered for this.
Ali Al Hamadi of AFC Wimbledon has been one of the biggest underperformers of xG, with the 21-year-old centre-forward scoring only four goals from an xG of 9.24. The forward also had three assists to his name from an xA of 1.54. Jake Young, who is the second-highest scorer in the league with nine goals, has done it with a big overperformance in front of the goal, with his goals coming from an xG of just 3.54.
22-year-old central midfielder Noah Chilvers from Colchester United does not have any assists to his name so far, but the midfielder has been unlucky, to say the least, because, with an xA of 2.55, Chilvers has the highest xA in this group of players. The 19-year-old Crewe Alexandra midfielder has assisted four times with an xA of only 2.51.
League Two so far this season has seen some exciting young talent, including the likes of Adam Mayor of Morecambe, Samson Tovide of Colchester, and Louie Barry of Stockport County, all put in eye-catching individual performances this season; it wouldn’t be a surprise if a considerable number of these go on to make big moves to leagues above for the upcoming season.
