Top 5 academy graduates outside of the 'Big Six' | Premier League 2019-20

#2 Harvey Barnes (Leicester City)

Harvey Barnes has become a key player at Leicester City this season

Leicester’s rise back to prominence has been one of the most interesting things to watch during the current season, and one of the players who has really stepped up during the campaign has been winger Harvey Barnes. Tipped for his first senior England call-up next month, Barnes has displayed devastating form at times, and his return of 4 goals and 6 assists in 18 starts makes him one of the Premier League’s most dangerous attackers.

Brought up in Leicestershire, Barnes first signed with the Foxes’ academy at the age of 9, and made his first team debut in a Champions League match with FC Porto in December 2016 just days before his 19th birthday. The remainder of the 2016-17 season saw him on loan at MK Dons, and further loans to Barnsley in 2017-18 and West Bromwich Albion in 2018-19 followed – the latter of which saw Barnes score 9 goals and make 6 assists in 26 appearances.

The winger’s form for the Baggies in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign was enough for Leicester to recall him, and since then he’s gone from strength to strength, becoming a regular starter and linking up remarkably well with the Foxes’ other key attackers like Jamie Vardy and James Maddison.

With excellent dribbling skills and a strong range of passing, Barnes clearly has the kind of skills that mark him out as a top-level performer – and if Leicester continue to push for a Champions League spot, he’ll soon be able to show off his skills at the highest level, something his performances this season have deserved.