Five Premier League debutants who impressed on the opening weekend

Fresh faces populated Premier League pitches over the opening weekend of 2024/25 and several new signings made an immediate impression.

Five Premier League debutants who impressed on the opening weekend

Amadou Onana – Aston Villa

Amadou Onana wasted no time in announcing his arrival at Aston Villa as the midfielder opened the scoring inside four minutes at West Ham. The Belgium international crashed into the area to meet a set-piece and head Villa into an early lead at the London Stadium.

Onana arrived at Villa Park with big expectations following his £50m arrival from Everton, tasked with replacing the all-action influence of Douglas Luiz in Unai Emery’s engine room.

On first evidence, Onana can achieve that and more. In addition to scoring, he won nine duels, made six ball recoveries, completed 100% of his dribbles and misplaced just one pass. Onana’s athleticism and ability to cover space and shutdown opponents is something Villa lacked in midfield last season.

Dean Huijsen – Bournemouth

Some suggested Juventus had made a mistake in allowing Dean Huijsen to leave this summer. More will be saying so now. The 19-year-old looked more than accomplished on his Premier League debut for Bournemouth as the Cherries kicked off their campaign with a draw at Nottingham Forest.

Huijsen won nine aerial duels, a record for a teenager across the last decade and the most of any player on the Premier League’s opening weekend. Huijsen has caught the eye with his calm and confidence to carry possession, but his ability to mix it with Premier League forwards from day one offers even more encouragement.

Yankuba Minteh – Brighton

Excitement has built at Brighton after watching Yankuba Minteh in pre-season with the summer signing producing a string of impressive pre-season performances. His debut did not disappoint as Minteh made an impact at Everton.

The Gambian winger led the contest for chances created (3) at the time of his substitution, completed 100% of his dribbles and set up Kaoru Mitoma’s opening goal with a deadly delivery across the box. A concussion substitution brought a premature end to his afternoon but Fabian Hurzeler is confident Minteh will be passed fit for the weekend. He looks a real livewire.

Jacob Greaves – Ipswich

Ipswich Town’s business has gone somewhat under the radar but Jacob Greaves looks like the perfect pick-up for Kieran McKenna’s side. Regular watchers of the Championship have suggested Greaves was a Premier League player in waiting and the 23-year-old looked comfortable on his top-flight debut this weekend.

The defender was a dominant aerial presence as he racked up eight clearances and won aerial balls in both boxes. Left-footed, commanding and composed, there could be some sides kicking themselves at missing out on the signing of the former Hull City centre-back.

Noussair Mazraoui – Manchester United

Erik ten Hag’s habit of returning for former Ajax alumni has earned the Manchester United manager criticism but few will complain if performance levels are high. Noussair Mazraoui slotted effortlessly into the side in their season-opener against Fulham, providing a touch of composure and energy at right-back.

He won 6/7 defensive duels and showcased his forward-thinking style with seven passes into the final third, while showcasing the press-resistance Ten Hag has talked up since his arrival. Signed for just £12.8m and able to cover both full-back positions, he could be one of the best value deals of the summer on this showing.

Read – Remembering every English winner of the PFA Player of the Year award in the Premier League era

See more – 📈 Power Rankings: Surprise early leaders in 2024/25

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