United's Academy Heads All English Rivals

Manchester United's Academy has produced more current first-team players than any other English club, according to a study published by the CIES Football Observatory.

The global numbers released by the statisticians are based on the 'training clubs' of players employed for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21. Current first-team squad members, as of 1 October 2016, are taken into account.

With regards to producing players at clubs in the five biggest European leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), United are third behind Spanish duo Real Madrid and Barcelona. Six of the 34 individuals are still with the Reds - Sam Johnstone, Tim Fosu-Mensah, Axel Tuanzebe, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.

The next-best English side is Tottenham Hotspur, who are joint-23rd with a total of 17 players, followed by Chelsea and Southampton (joint-37th).
 
When assessing all of the leading European top divisions, the Observatory found Ajax have the best record but United are again the highest-placed Premier League club in joint-13th. The only other English teams in the top 50 are Arsenal (joint-25th) and Manchester City (joint-46th).