Pep Guardiola has invested in youth at all three clubs he has managed

10 managers who used youth players the most in the last decade

#1 Claude Puel

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Claude Puel developed Karim Benzema at Lyon
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League minutes played by U-23 players: 28.9%

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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.

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Starting his managerial career at Monaco itself, he has since managed Lille, Lyon, Nice, Southampton, and now Leicester City.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Edited by
Shambhu Ajith
 
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