Aston Villa have always prided themselves on bringing young talent trough their ranks.
Aston Villa top a list compiled in a report from the Mirror that has calculated the most minutes played in the Championship by graduates from clubs spanned across all divisions in England.
A total of 19 Villa players have clocked up game-time in England’s second tier, tallying up a total of 20,106 minutes played.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
The Mirror’s report shows that Manchester United are second on the list with 21 academy graduates clocking up 16,473 minutes in the Championship followed by Arsenal with 15,564 minutes played.
Whilst the report will make pleasant reading for Villa fans, the main problem for the club is that they are trying to fight their way out of one of the toughest leagues in the world, where the need for experienced pros is paramount.
Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish
Bringing through talented youngsters is one of the most satisfying feelings for fans of a football club, but a more even balance will have to be found by the Villans over the next few seasons, if they are to go on and be successful.
The most famous graduate to come out of the Villa academy in recent years is Jack Grealish, and fans of the club will be hoping that he goes on to fulfil his potential on the pitch.
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