Manchester United don’t produce young players anymore right?
Since the class of 92 it’s been all bought-in talent for the club built on a foundation of youth with Matt Busby’s Babes, right?
Erm, well, apparently not quite.
The Mirror’s data unit have crunched the numbers and compared every club to find out which has the most prolific academy – judged on where each Premier League player playing this season began their career.
And coming out at the very top is Manchester United.
Yep, the Red Devils have produced more current top flight players than any other club in the country.
The club has produced 29 Premier League players – and by that we mean players who made their top flight debut while still at the United academy – way out in front of the 16 that next best Tottenham and Southampton can boast.
(Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)But – and here’s the rub, as Shakespeare would say – not many of them actually play for United.
That 29 includes players like Danny Welbeck at Arsenal, Leicester pair Danny Simpson and Danny Drinkwater, Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross and Crystal Palace striker Fraizer Campbell.
Here’s the full list of the top ten most prolific academies in the country, in terms of Premier League players:
- Man United: 29
- Southampton: 16
- Tottenham: 16
- Arsenal: 15
- Man City: 13
- West Ham: 12
- Liverpool: 11
- Chelsea: 10
- Crystal Palace: 7
- Leeds: 7
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