With just a number of days left ahead of another exciting Championship season, Football League World continues to look at the greatest prospect at every club in the league, aged 22 and under and what impact that player could have this season for their respective club. 

With all teams either desperate for promotion or to avoid the drop, a strong squad is needed to make the top 6 come the end of the season, having young talents emerge into key players can spur a team on to success as FLW look at the most likely candidates to take the league by storm this campaign.

With a flurry of transfer activity already happening this summer, fans across the country will be looking out for the greatest young talents on show. Here are the ones to watch out for and the most likely prospects to have the big futures in the league.

See part 1 here.

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PRESS ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE SIX PLAYERS

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Burnley – Michael Keane – Age: 22 Position: Central Defender

Keane who was signed from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee made 21 league appearances in the Premier League last season.

A player that has learnt his trade on loan previously at Leicester, Derby and Blackburn respectively. The 22-year-old is competent physically and has also shown other qualities which made him a regular in the England Under 21’s squad.

Keane is the only regular in the Burnley squad aged twenty two or under but he has earned the trust of Sean Dyche by playing like a player who is far more experienced than someone who has only made sixty four career appearances.

Keane will have now have the perfect opportunity to cement a starting place for the Clarets following the departure of Jason Shackell to Derby.

Having an experienced and strong partner in Duff should help Keane’s development as a player. Dyche will want a strong partnership formed which was a big factor in Burnley’s promotion season in 2013/14 which was based on a resolute defence.

It will be interesting to see if Dyche puts his faith in his youngest talent and if so how the Manchester United prospect fair’s in a large marathon, that is the Championship!

Cardiff City – Matthew Kennedy – Age: 20 – Position: Winger

A really disappointing season for Cardiff City last year having finished 11th although the club were never really in contention for promotion throughout the season.

A real positive though was the arrival of the young starlet from Everton, Matthew Kennedy. A player Everton once signed for £250,000 at the age of 17, which illustrates the real talent the player has. Having signed in February 2015, Kennedy has already made twelve appearances for the club.

The winger is a player who is direct and skilful with his dribbling. This combined with the fact he is a relatively unknown quantity makes him unpredictable and it’s difficult for full backs to adapt to his play.

Certainly a player that could go under the radar and emerge as one of the greatest young talents in the league next season should Russell Slade giving him more chances in the team.

Cardiff’s recruitment of established names such as Anthony Pilkington, Dikgacoi and Tom Adeyemi ahead of last season ultimately failed so it could be time to change the plan and give the likes of Kennedy a chance to prove himself. Keep an eye out for his progression this season.

Charlton Athletic – Tony Watt – Age: 21 Position: Forward

Tony Watt has already proven himself at an early age, his most memorable moment, scoring the winner against Barcelona in Celtic’s famous 2-1 victory at Celtic Park in 2012, will live with him forever.

He has since moved on to Belgium Clubs Lierse and Standard Liege and now finds himself at Charlton after struggling to establish himself in Belgium.

The forward has already put in some good displays for the club having joined in January 2015. His record is five goals in twenty two appearances which is a decent contribution. Watt and strike partner Igor Vetokele will have compeition for places this time round as the club have signed 6ft ‘7 striker Simon Makienok on loan from Palermo.

This is an alternative option to the lightning pace that both Watt and Vetokele offer Charlton. The competition could drive Watt to improve again this time round and become a key player for his team.

Charlton scored the joint fewest in the top half of the table last season should be more of a threat with goals this season, with Watt having the chance of a full season and also being supplied by the impressive winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson. You would expect Watt to hit at least double figures this season!

Derby County – Will Hughes – Age: 20 Position: Central Midfielder

 

This season will be Hughes’s fourth full season in a Derby County shirt and still at the age of twenty he could probably be described as an experienced player.

Hughes is a technically gifted player who is very composed and brave on the ball. He is often instrumental in Derby’s slick passing side and has been a regular on the team sheet having made nearly one hundred and fifty career appearances already. A player often hyped up as one of England’s greatest young talents but last season was neither poor nor brilliant for Hughes.

The midfield man isn’t a player who brings lots of goals to the team or lots of flair but his consistency in his game is what makes Hughes important to Derby. Someone who can keep Derby ticking with high tempo with clever simple passing and through balls allowing the Rams attackers to do the incisive damage in the oppositions box.

With Derby making a few impressive signing’s such as Tom Ince and Darren Bent, the season looks promising for Derby. Can Will Hughes step it up this season and help Derby secure promotion? You wouldn’t bet against it.

Fulham – Lasse Vigen Christensen – Age: 20 – Position: Midfielder

The Danish under 21 international has caught the eye for Fulham in his debut season in the Championship.

He has also attracted interest from Aston Villa as the 20-year-old scored five goals from midfield.

Christensen regularly looked to join the Fulham attacks from deep and was able to contribute offensively with his well timed passes and ability to beat a man meaning he can contribute both assists and goals to the team. He is one of several creative players now at the club. Tom Cairney, Jamie O’Hara and Ben Pringle have been brought in to the club this summer and with the likes of Ross McCormack leading the line, goals shouldn’t be an issue again.

However with these midfielders relatively similar in playing style, Christensen is not a guaranteed starter. He does though seem to be well liked by ex-academy manager Kit Symons who will put faith in youth. There are encouraging signs from Fulham and Lasse Vigen Christensen will definitely be one to watch.

Huddersfield Town – Harry Bunn – Age: 22 – Position: Left Winger

A fantastic season for Harry Bunn last year scoring nine goals in thirty three games from the left wing position.

A player that is both strong and quick meaning defenders struggle to live with him physically. The twenty two year old forward can also operate as a striker and is direct, able to both beat his man and also find the net with precise finishing.

Huddersfield have talent in attacking areas and if Nahki Wells and particularly James Vaughan can stay fit for a full season then there is real reason for optimism at the club.

Maybe a player who isn’t a standout name in the league yet and arguably a very underrated player in the league but certainly a player to watch out for when Huddersfield are involved. You would only assume Bunn will develop further this season so he could be a real handful for the Championship!

Championship fans, which player do you expect to make the greatest impact on the league and why? Let us know in the comments below!

Look out for Part’s 3-4, coming soon!