Can Crystal Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell build on his surprise start?

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When Crystal Palace Academy boss Richard Shaw said the group of players under him wouldn’t make it in the Championship, never mind the Premier League, Tyrick Mitchell must not have been listening.

The Eagles were keen to find someone who could go down the Aaron Wan-Bissaka route and establish themselves in the first team, but Shaw made it sound pretty grim in South London.

Mitchell has completely ignored his former gaffer’s assessment and burst through almost as quickly as Wan-Bissaka.

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He started the last two games of 2019/2020 and has emerged as Roy Hodgson’s left-back for this campaign. For a side who don’t hand out starting places to youngsters as a habit, that’s no mean feat.

Out of all the footballers to play 180 minutes this season, Mitchell is the youngest by far. Wilfried Zaha, at 27, is the second youngest, and that tells you a lot about the way Hodgson is programmed.

Mitchell has made the most tackles per game, with five, and made two clearances per 90. He appears to have taken to it like a duck to water.

The key, now, is to keep progressing and keep impressing. The clean sheet on Palace’s opening day 1-0 win against Southampton was excellent, swiftly followed by a 3-1 demolition of Manchester United.

For any young footballer looking to make an impact, that’s the way to do it.

“The harsh reality is, the guys that are here now are not going to make it at Crystal Palace,” said Shaw.

Well, football is a fickle sport, and Mitchell proves that with every Premier League minute, he clocks up. The Eagles take on free-scoring Everton this weekend, and Mitchell will come up against his latest test as he attempts to establish a name for himself.

If the past is anything to go by, James Rodriguez, Richarlison, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are going to find things a lot tougher than they anticipate.