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<p>Ligue 1 Highlights</p>
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<img alt="Clubs with the Most U21 Players: Man Utd and Barcelona Among the Top Ten" src="https://tmssl.akamaized.net//images/foto/galerie/u21-mins-spot-1754941507-174573.png" title="Clubs with the Most U21 Players: Man Utd and Barcelona Among the Top Ten">
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<p>It has been a lengthy summer for fans across Europe as they eagerly await the return of competitive football. While a few clubs participated in the Club World Cup, most supporters will soon see their teams back in action. This weekend marks the kickoff of three of the top five leagues: LaLiga, Ligue 1, and the English Premier League. The Bundesliga and Serie A will follow next weekend, creating a wave of excitement for a new season across Europe’s elite leagues.</p>
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<p>Clubs have invested billions in the transfer market, striving to discover future stars. Major teams increasingly focus on younger talents, hoping to nurture them into world-class players while preserving their market value. Last season saw the emergence of several elite players, including Ethan Nwaneri, Marc Casadó, and Andrey Santos. Using exclusive data from <em>Transfermarkt</em>, we analyzed which clubs allocated the most minutes to U21 players last season.</p>
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<h2>Clubs That Utilized the Most U21 Players Last Season</h2>
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<p>Ligue 1 clubs generally offer more opportunities to young talents than any other league in Europe, with Strasbourg at the forefront for the 2024/25 season. Owned by the BlueCo consortium, which also includes Chelsea, Strasbourg is known for its focus on developing younger players. Coach Liam Rosenior utilized 24 different U21 talents last season, amassing a total of 21,789 minutes on the pitch. Barcelona secured the second spot, fielding 15 U21 players for a combined 21,237 minutes. Lamine Yamal (4,553 minutes) and Pau Cubarsí (4,321 minutes) were standout performers for the Catalan side, contributing significantly to their LaLiga title victory under coach Hansi Flick.</p>
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<p>The graphic above shows that several prominent European clubs are among the top ten, illustrating their commitment to youth development. PSG had a remarkable season, clinching the Champions League for the first time, and they rank third with 16,156 minutes allocated to U21 players. Two Bundesliga clubs, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt, complete the top five; both teams are known for developing young talents before selling them at high prices, as seen with the recent transfers of Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Etitike. Manchester United led the English clubs with 12,425 minutes, while Real Madrid also made the top ten, but no Serie A teams appear in the rankings.</p>
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