Brighton & Hove Albion technical director Dan Ashworth says the club are proud of their record of player development after analysis revealed Albion have given more Premier League minutes than any other club to homegrown players this season.
The data showed that up until December, Albion had given 27.5% of the total top-flight playing time to players who had been at the club for at least three seasons between the age of 15 and 21.
Albion were followed by Chelsea (26.2), Manchester United (24.3) and Arsenal (21.1).
One of the features over the past two seasons since Graham Potter joined Albion in May 2019 has been the opportunity given to players developed in the club’s academy.
Since his appointment Aaron Connolly, Ben White, Steven Alzate, Robert Sanchez and Jayson Molumby have all played in the Premier League.
Young stars like Tariq Lamptey and Andi Zeqiri would not count in the statistic, as they've come through the youth ranks elsewhere, but only two clubs – Aston Villa (24.9 years) and Arsenal (25.5) have fielded teams with a younger average age than Albion’s 25.6 years this season.
Ashworth said, "The club has had a strong reputation over the years for its commitment to youth development and it remains one of the key elements of our strategy for the future.
"Everyone at the club is extremely proud when we see the likes of Aaron Connolly, Ben White, Steven Alzate and Rob Sanchez getting their opportunity in the Premier League and thriving.
"Others are getting the chance to gain more experience on loan, as we have seen this week with Jayson Molumby going to Preston, and the likes of Alex Cochrane, Tudor Baluta, Taylor Richards, Haydon Roberts, Viktor Gyokeres and Leo Ostigard all playing regularly.
"While the likes of Max Sanders, Jensen Weir and Teddy Jenks are benefitting from being involved alongside the first team, progressing all the time, and pushing to make their next step.
"A lot of work goes into their development and bringing through our own players is something we are absolutely committed to. We want to see players continuing to break through from our academy and make an impact for us in the Premier League.
"I am absolutely delighted that the tireless work behind the scenes of John Morling, Simon Rusk, David Weir and all the Academy staff is starting to get the recognition they deserve."