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A staunch advocacy of using youth players that come through the club's academy is quite rare in modern-day football. With managers having lesser time to establish themselves and instant results the need of the hour, youth players tend to fall by the wayside.
However, there are a few managers who still hold strong their beliefs of having a balanced squad filled with a rich mix of experience and youth. So which managers have used youth players the most in the past decade in Europe?
Note: All players who were U-23 at the time were considered based on percentage of minutes played. All managers have managed at least 250 games. Data obtained from TransferMarkt.
#10 Pep Guardiola
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League minutes played by U-23 players: 18.7%
Many fans do not appreciate what Pep Guardiola has done for the game. Most are of the opinion that he inherited a great squad and only built on that.
That is a narrow-minded way of looking at things. Many tend to forget that it was he who moved on the likes of experienced players such as Ronaldinho and Deco followed by Samuel Eto'o a year later and then promoted young Cantera players such as Sergio Busquets and Pedro to the senior team.
He had also requested the club to bring back a then 21-year-old Gerard Pique from Manchester United. Thiago Alcantara also made more than 100 appearances at the Camp Nou.
It was the same case at Bayern Munich where he regularly played Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich while Juan Bernat was also given a chance.
At Manchester City, he has formed a deadly attacking trio of U-23 players - Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, and Leroy Sane. While he has signed a few established players for big money, it is his faith in youth that has helped him build title-winning squads that can last a few years.
#9 Christian Gourcuff
League minutes played by U-23 players: 19.1%
The Frenchman is another football manager who is known for two things - playing a brand of attacking football and trusting youth players.
In the last decade, Gourcuff has managed Lorient and Rennes in Ligue 1 and has spotted a number of players who have gone on to become stars in club football.
A few famous youngsters he has managed in the past include Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny (who is now the team's captain when Per Mertesacker is unavailable and a permanent member in the France squad).
Striker André-Pierre Gignac (who has 36 caps for France) also came through the youth system when he was Lorient manager) and Atletico Madrid striker Kevin Gameiro (who helped Sevilla win three consecutive Europa League titles) are two other attacking players who thrived under the veteran manager.
#8 Gian Piero Gasperini
League minutes played by U-23 players: 19.8%
In the past decade, Gian Piero Gasperini has managed Italian clubs such as Genoa, Palermo, and most recently Atalanta.
Gasperini is a veteran manager with over 500 games experience ever since he became a manager in 2003. Although credited with reviving the careers of players such as Diego Milito and Thiago Motta at Genoa, he too has put his trust in youth players over the course of many years.
His most recent achievement was taking a side that was not fancied to get anywhere near the top of the table to Europe - Atalanta. The 2016/17 season saw him make use of Mattia Caldara in defence (who popped up with 7 goals), Andrea Conti (8 goals & 5 assists), Andrea Petagna (5 goals & 7 assists), and Bryan Cristante (3 goals & 2 assists).
His work with then 19-year-old midfielder Franck Kessié (6 goals & 3 assists) earned him numerous plaudits as Atalanta finished in the top four. Kessi would eventually seal a two-year loan deal to AC Milan.
#7 Diego Simeone
League minutes played by U-23 players: 19.8%
After learning his trade in Argentina and Italy, Diego Simeone took charge of Atletico Madrid in 2011. It would be a historic appointment for the Rojiblancos who would go on to break the Real-Barca duopoly in La Liga and also finish runners-up in the Champions League not once but twice.
Once upon a time, Atletico had decided to shut their academy - a move that saw Raul slip through their fingers as he joined rivals Real Madrid. They took their time to re-establish the youth system but once they did they started to generate a number of players who would go on to wear the club's shirt.
In the 2013/14 title-winning season, two of their most crucial members were U-23 players; goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (who used that season to announce himself to the world) and Koke (6 goals and 13 assists in 36 appearances).
Since then, Simeone has used other youngsters such as defenders Jose Gimenez and Lucas Hernandez, midfielders Saul Niguez and Thomas Partey, wingers Yannick Carrasco and Angel Correa.
#6 Roberto Martinez
League minutes played by U-23 players: 20.2%
Spanish football coach Roberto Martinez has been a manager for 10 years now. Before being appointed the manager of a Belgium side that has loads of potential, he had managed clubs in England; namely Swansea City, Wigan Athletic, and Everton.
Two notable names from his Swansea days include Joe Allen, Nathan Dyer, and Ashley Williams who would be key players in the Premier League after they won promotion.
At Wigan Athletic, there were quite a few young players who had potential. Victor Moses has since gone on to make a name for himself in the Premier League while bright prospect Scott Sinclair failed to make his mark. Charles N'Zogbia was another player who started well before fading away.
Everton was Martinez's big break and the Toffees seemed to profit from his philosophy at first as they finished fifth in his first season. His biggest success was loanee Romelu Lukaku who scored 15 goals and became a permanent signing thereafter.
Ross Barkley also thrived while Gerard Deulofeu was also a fine player in the making. John Stones was also slowly coming into his own.
#5 Arsene Wenger
League minutes played by U-23 players: 22.4%
One would think Arsene Wenger would be closer to the top of the list considering he played with youth players for years post Arsenal's move to the Emirates. But the last few years has seen him use experienced players (some of whom were the same young players he had used).
In Wenger's case, it was also borne out of necessity rather than enforcing a drastic change in philosophy. That is not to say he never used young players before. For example; Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie were regulars at Highbury.
However, in the last decade, without the financial capability to attract the biggest stars, Wenger invested in youth. Theo Walcott was one of his most promising youngsters as was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - both of whom have left the club this season.
Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere are the torch-bearers of the current side; Ramsey was signed as a teenager while Wilshere graduated from the academy. Gael Clichy rose through the ranks and Nicklas Bendtner showed promise before off-field distractions ruined his career.
Alex Song also had great potential before career decisions saw the spotlight move on, Wojciech Szczesny was trusted to take over from a disappointing Manuel Almunia in goal, and Kieran Gibbs was the successor to Clichy.
There are many more but these are the more familiar players who wore the Arsenal shirt.
#4 Jurgen Klopp
League minutes played by U-23 players: 23.3%
When Jurgen Klopp manages a club, he tends to stay there long enough to instil his brand of football in the players at his disposal. Averaging seven seasons at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga, he now has the task of ending Liverpool's trophy drought.
Klopp started his tenure at Dortmund with a cup win before eventually winning two consecutive Bundesliga titles. A number of players in the core of that squad were U-23.
Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa and Nuri Sahin were the creative forces behind Lucas Barrios and Robert Lewandowski while defenders Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic started together at the back.
Central midfielder Ilkay Gundogan also made his mark at the club while Marco Reus had a fantastic debut season as Dortmund finished runners-up in the 2013 Champions League final.
At Liverpool, Klopp was lucky to inherit Philippe Coutinho but he gave him the freedom to thrive. Alberto Moreno and Emre Can were given plenty of opportunities as was Divock Origi.
This season, Joe Gomez has been a regular while the signs point at a bright future for young Dominic Solanke who has come on as a substitute a few times.
#3 Dieter Hecking
League minutes played by U-23 players: 25.1%
German boss Dieter Hecking has managed a number of clubs in the past decade. From Hannover 96 to FC Nurnberg to VfL Wolfsburg, the 53-year-old is now in charge of Borussia Mönchengladbach.
At Hannover, he trusted former defenders Håvard Nordtveit and Dennis Diekmeier, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, and forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting - all of whom made more than 20 appearances a season.
It was at Wolfsburg where he really turned heads, taking them to the Europa League and even the Champions League where they almost knocked out Real Madrid.
Ricardo Rodrigues, Robin Knoche, and Maximilian Arnold were heavily involved while Kevin De Bruyne had 10 goals and 20 assists in his final season at the club. His final season at the club also saw the rise of Julian Draxler.
At 'Gladbach, he has so far tried to put his faith in Denis Zakaria and Nico Elvedi (both 21) while 18-year-old midfielder Michaël Cuisance is one to watch out for.
#2 Mauricio Pochettino
League minutes played by U-23 players: 26.7%
Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino has been in management less than a decade but he is one of three managers who has seen at least a quarter of the game time in the league shared by U-23 players.
Starting his career at Espanyol in La Liga, he earned a move to the Premier League when Southampton came calling. However, he lasted only a year as Tottenham Hotspur were impressed with his credentials - especially when compared to the sacked Tim Sherwood.
At Southampton, he trusted youngsters such as left-back Luke Shaw (who earned a move to Manchester United), Calum Chambers (who was signed by Arsenal), and James Ward-Prowse.
With Spurs, he put his faith in Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, and Dele Alli a season later. Harry Winks is also proving his worth as a midfielder and he is only 21.
Spurs never had the finances to compete but Pochettino built a squad capable of challenging for the title. The fact that most of them have gone on to become England internationals also prove how successful he has been with young players.
#1 Claude Puel
League minutes played by U-23 players: 28.9%
Claude Puel may have been a one-club man when he was a player - having made 601 appearances for AS Monaco - but he has become a well-travelled man ever since he donned a suit and took charge in the dugout.
Starting his managerial career at Monaco itself, he has since managed Lille, Lyon, Nice, Southampton, and now Leicester City.
In all, players aged 23 and under have played nearly 30% of the time under Puel at various clubs in the past decade. He had taken over at Lyon just after their period of dominance in the 2000s and when they were looking to build a new stadium.
The biggest player he managed at the time who would go on to be a star was none other than Karim Benzema who would go on to score 66 goals for the club as a youngster before a high-profile move to Real Madrid.
Midfielder Miralem Pjanić was also at Lyon, getting his feet wet in the early years of his career. Dejan Lovren was also handed his debut at the club by Puel as was goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
At Southampton, despite the gulf in class between the top seven and the rest of the league, he managed to lead the Saints to an eighth-placed finish. Nathan Redmond thrived under Puel's guidance as did Sofiane Boufal.
At Leicester City, he has so far trusted Wilfred Ndidi and Demarai Gray with both clocking more than 3,000 minutes combined. Ben Chilwell and Kelechi Iheanacho (both 21) have also got opportunities under the French coach.
Famous managers who miss out
The rest of the managers hardly give their young players enough chances to succeed. The likes of Massimiliano Allegri, Carlo Ancelotti, and even Jose Mourinho prefer using established players to get the desired results.
Under Allegri, U-23 player have only seen 11% of the total action in the league at Cagliari, AC Milan, and Juventus.
In Ancelotti's case, it is 10.1% at clubs such as Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich - not exactly clubs where he has a choice.
Mourinho may have claimed that he “promoted 49 youth players from academies” but a meagre 10.2% suggest they never play enough after their debut - be it at Chelsea, Real Madrid or Inter Milan.
However, his numbers could increase with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Luke Shaw playing regularly.
