Joe Willick made his Premier League debut for Arsenal on Sunday in their 2-1 loss at Newcastle United. The 18-year-old became only the fourth player born after Arsène Wenger took charge of the club to feature in the competition.
The England under-19 international spent more time defending than he did attacking from midfield during the 68 minutes he was on the pitch.
Willock has actually featured five teams in the UEFA Europa League (3 starts), once in the FA Cup and three times in the EFL Cup (1 start) for the Gunners this season, before being handed an opportunity in the greatest league in the world.
The youngster became the 56th teenager to represent Arsenal during the Premier League era – more than any other club. A full list of those players, ordered by youngest at the top, is as follows:
| Player | Age at Debut |
|---|---|
| Jack Wilshere | 16y, 8m |
| Serge Gnabry | 17y, 3m |
| Cesc Fàbregas | 17y, 3m |
| Ainsley Maitland-Niles | 17y, 3m |
| Gavin McGowan | 17y, 3m |
| Theo Walcott | 17y, 5m |
| Aaron Ramsey | 17y, 8m |
| Chuba Akpom | 17y, 11m |
| Alex Song | 18y |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | 18y |
| Nicolas Anelka | 18y |
| Reiss Nelson | 18y, 1m |
| Graham Barrett | 18y, 1m |
| Ian Selley | 18y, 2m |
| Stephen Hughes | 18y, 3m |
| Paolo Vernazza | 18y, 3m |
| Gaël Clichy | 18y, 3m |
| Justin Hoyte | 18y, 5m |
| Gavin Hoyte | 18y, 5m |
| Armand Traoré | 18y, 5m |
| Mark Randall | 18y, 7m |
| Joe Willock | 18y, 7m |
| Nico Yennaris | 18y, 7m |
| David Grondin | 18y, 8m |
| Arturo Lupoli | 18y, 8m |
| Matthew Upson | 18y, 8m |
| Eddie Nketiah | 18y, 9m |
| Denilson | 18y, 10m |
| Quincy Owusu-Abeyie | 18y, 10m |
| Ignasi Miquel | 18y, 10m |
| Kerrea Gilbert | 18y, 10m |
| Jérémie Aliadière | 18y, 10m |
| Johan Djourou | 18y, 11m |
| Fran Mérida | 18y, 11m |
| Craig Eastmond | 19y |
| Kieran Gibbs | 19y, 4m |
| Ashley Cole | 19y, 4m |
| Ray Parlour | 19y, 5m |
| Alex Iwobi | 19y, 5m |
| Carlos Vela | 19y, 6m |
| Carl Jenkinson | 19y, 6m |
| Rhys Weston | 19y, 6m |
| Calum Chambers | 19y, 6m |
| Nicklas Bendtner | 19y, 6m |
| Henri Lansbury | 19y, 6m |
| Héctor Bellerín | 19y, 6m |
| Emmanuel Frimpong | 19y, 7m |
| Ryan Garry | 19y, 7m |
| Isaiah Rankin | 19y, 7m |
| Jermaine Pennant | 19y, 7m |
| David Bentley | 19y, 8m |
| Abou Diaby | 19y, 8m |
| Jay Emmanuel-Thomas | 19y, 9m |
| John Hartson | 19y, 9m |
| Philippe Senderos | 19y, 10m |
| Mark Flatts | 19y, 11m |