As is the case nearly every season, a new youngster emerges and stakes a claim for the first team from a veteran or a first team player. Soon enough, they make the position their own and go on to hold that position for many years to come.

This season is likely to be no different. In the following segment we take a look at three youngsters in the Premier League who have the ability to cement a starting position for their clubs on a permanent basis.

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1) Kurt Zouma

20 year old Kurt Zouma only signed for Chelsea this past season but he's already had somewhat of a breakthrough year. Signed from Ligue 1 side, AS Saint Etienne where he was already playing in the first team since the 2011/2012 season, the tall, powerful defender was signed as a backup center half  to John Terry and Gary Cahill. Zouma fulfilled that that role, being used regularly as a substitute or starting cup games.

However, with Cahill's performances deteriorating and his game riddled with inconsistencies, especially following a big 5-3 defeat to Tottenham, Zouma was given his chance. The young French man embraced it eagerly. He started and played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's first nine games in 2014, including the full 90 minutes of the Capital One Cup final.

However, Jose Mourinho's thought process seemed to lean towards the idea that it was too early for Zouma to continue playing at this level, especially in his first season, so brought Cahill back soon after. Cahill was a player reborn and seemed to have benefited from knowing that there was a genuine threat for his place and upped his game.

Zouma didn't feature as prominently for the rest of the season but it was still a productive season for him resulting in him playing 17 of his total of 26 games in the second half of the season. With John Terry aging and Cahill prone to inconsistency, 2015/2016 could really be Zouma's year.

2) Hector Bellerin

Originally brought to Arsenal as part of the Cesc Fabregas deal in 2011, Hector Bellerin has matured a lot. Now 20 years old, the Spaniard waited patiently for his chance and now has a good claim at starting the upcoming season at right back.

With Carl Jenkinson going out on loan and Mathieu Debuchy being brought in to replace the departing Bacary Sagna, Bellerin was promoted to second choice right back at the start of the 2014/2015 season. However, two long term injuries to Debuchy in both halves of the season allowed Bellerin to get more game time than he expected - allowing him to record 28 appearances in all competitions.

Without a doubt, the young Spaniard definitely impressed. He showed great dribbling ability, being an effective attacking outlet, and even showed that he could score, banging in two impressive goals against Aston Villa and Liverpool.

The Spaniard started the FA Cup final also, helping Arsenal win their 13th FA Cup crown and retaining the trophy. This picture definitely shows the difference a year can make for Bellerin.

It's only a testament to how well Bellerin's done that, despite Debuchy now being fit, the Spaniard is touted to be the starter ahead of the 2015/2016 season.

3) John Stones

John Stones has had a meteoric rise to fame. Playing in the first team for Barnsley from 2011, he signed for Everton in January 2013 and has been on an upward progression since.

Despite being injured for quite some time in the 2013/2014 season, Stones impressed and earned enough plaudits to be nominated for the Golden Boy award.

Whenever he has played though - whether at center back or right back - he has shown maturity beyond his years as well as crucial qualities such as anticipation and composure, as shown in the above GIF with his last ditch saving tackle. At only 21, he's already played in over 50 games for Everton and has been linked with Chelsea as the long term successor to John Terry.

While such a move is hugely tempting, Stones should remain with Everton to develop his game a little further. He will certainly get game time this upcoming season, especially with the departure of Sylvain Distin, and that can only further enhance his prospects of moving to a top club in the future.

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