Crystal Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell may have "benefited" from making his debut for the club during lockdown, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

Mitchell has made rapid progress at Selhurst Park, becoming a first-team regular under Patrick Vieira this season.

What's happened to Mitchell this season?

Having made his Premier League debut for Palace in June 2020, Mitchell has gone from strength to strength ever since.

In 2020/21, he made 19 top-flight appearances as he battled with Patrick van Aanholt to establish himself as the side's first-choice left-back.

This term, he has made the role his own, featuring in Palace's first 32 league games.

His impressive performances led to him making his England debut in March in a friendly against Switzerland.

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What has Barclay said about Mitchell?

Barclay believes Mitchell has excelled this season after a testing campaign which has seen him play a high number of minutes for a 22-year-old.

He has revealed that he spoke to a source earlier this season who suggested that Mitchell may have been able to progress so quickly due to making his Palace bow during lockdown, which could have allowed him to play with more freedom in the infancy stage of his career.

Talking about Mitchell, Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s been a long season. He’s played consistently very, very well. You sort of forget that he’s a young player.

“I did a piece on him earlier this season when I was speaking to someone about his development, and it was interesting, the feedback was that he really benefited from making his debut during lockdown. In the sense that, he was pretty raw, and he got to make a lot of his mistakes without any fans getting on his back.”

What's next for Mitchell?

As Barclay alluded to, Mitchell has risen through the ranks brilliantly over the past two years, and he appears to have a big future ahead of him.

Vieira has put his faith in youth this term, handing out opportunities to the likes of Mitchell, Conor Gallagher and Michael Olise, and they have all taken their chances.

Mitchell will now want to continue to improve and help Palace reach the next level as they aim to build on a promising campaign which saw them reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Another option for him could be a move to one of the biggest clubs in the league as he has been linked with Manchester City and Chelsea.

The full-back, who is currently valued at £25m by CIES, could also have a significant role to play on the international stage this year.

With Luke Shaw struggling for form this season, and Ben Chilwell currently sidelined with a serious knee injury, the door is open for Mitchell to stake his claim to be in Gareth Southgate's starting XI.

The World Cup is just six months away, and if Mitchell can start next season strongly, he could be in line for a call-up to the squad that travels to Qatar in search of England's first major tournament win in 56 years.