You can't win anything with kids is a phrase in football that is often referenced. Alan Hansen said on Match of the Day in 1995, as he doubted Manchester United, who went on that season to win the Premier League title.
Blackpool have a squad that is a good blend of experience and youth. Karamoko Dembele is a player that gets fans off of their seats, and before he joined there was so much hype around him. He made his debut for Celtic's under-21's team at 13-years-old, and whilst his career might not have gone as he would have hoped so far, he's getting a lot of exposure from his loan at Bloomfield Road.
Neil Critchley from his days as an age-grade coach at Liverpool knows how to get the best out of young players, and there's a reason why perhaps he favours working with youngsters. He's helped play a key role in making Olly Casey a solid League One defender, having spent the last season out on loan at Forest Green Rovers.
How does the rest of the division look like when it comes to the development of younger players? Before he left for Bristol City Liam Manning used his contacts to recruit younger players, and built a good squad that Des Buckingham has inherited at Oxford United. The U's on paper have a young squad, and there are also teams like Charlton Athletic, Pompey and Charlton who also have their fair share of younger players, mainly on loan.
Here, according to the respected transfer values website TransferMarkt, are the 15-most valuable players under the age of 21-years-old. You can also see which Under-21 players have performed the best this season too based on WhoScored metrics.
