Many clubs across Europe have historically made it a point to field players that have come through the ranks of their esteemed academies. Youth teams have always been of immense importance to clubs in many ways, whether it is to promote players to improve their teams or to sell to other clubs as a dependable source of revenue.AFC Ajax, for instance, have a habit of instilling their unique culture of the sport into aspiring footballers from a very young age. More often than not, these starlets go on to have a taste of first-team action in their careers before either becoming regulars at the highest level or moving elsewhere for regular football.Ajax v Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First LegThe Amsterdam giants have upheld this tradition for many decades, dating back to the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Clarence Seedorf, Marco van Basten, and late Dutch football icon Johan Cruyff.Not much has changed in modern-day football, as Ajax's youth products have played a staggering 37% of the available league minutes. Much of the same can be said for Athletic Club of LaLiga Santander, who boast the highest percentage across the top five leagues with 50.9.📋 A report by @CIES_Football lists #AthleticClub as the no.1 club from Europe's top five leagues when it comes to percentage of minutes played by homegrown footballers.🦁 𝟱𝟬,𝟵% ➕ info 👇#AthleticLezama https://t.co/2ANJap63iP— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) May 14, 2021The Premier League also has a few clubs that place a great deal of emphasis and trust in their own youth products. Here, we take a look at the top five clubs in the English top-flight whose academy players have played the highest percentage of league minutes.Note: The primary criteria for players included are that they must have spent at least three years with the club between the ages of 15 and 21, as per the CIES Football Observatory.#5 Liverpool | 16.3%Liverpool v Southampton - Premier LeagueLiverpool have a long line of players who made a name for themselves after coming through their academy, including the likes of Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, and former captain Steven Gerrard. While they may not have had as illustrious a group of players to come through in the recent past, they have most certainly given chances to a host of promising players this season.Whether it was by choice or due to necessity, the former champions have fielded several of their youth products this season, with star man Trent Alexander-Arnold (2943 minutes) leading the way.👥 Nat Phillips is winning more aerial duels per 90 (5.4) than any other defender in the Premier League this season (5+ apps) pic.twitter.com/47bANL57f5— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) March 16, 2021Jurgen Klopp was forced to rely on the likes of Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams due to several defensive injuries. Others such as star midfielder Curtis Jones and Caoimhin Kelleher also featured for the senior side.#4 Arsenal | 20.1%Arsenal v Sheffield United - Premier LeagueArsenal are another club with a long history of producing some superb talents, with many such as Cesc Fabregas and Ashley Cole going right to the pinnacle of the game. Curiously, they have also let go of several noteworthy names over the last few years as well, including Serge Gnabry, Ismael Bennacer, and others who have gone on to do well all across Europe.It's hardly surprising to see the Gunners feature on this list as a fair few of Mikel Arteta's players have risen through the ranks at London Colney.🅰️ Emile Smith Rowe's Premier League assists this season➡️ 𝙎𝙖𝙠𝙖➡️ 𝙎𝙖𝙠𝙖➡️ 𝙎𝙖𝙠𝙖➡️ Aubameyang🙇‍♂️ That Arsenal Connection pic.twitter.com/N9tZL4Zmz9— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 25, 2021Bukayo Saka is widely regarded as one of the club's most exciting prospects since Fabregas and has played a staggering 2546 league minutes. Hector Bellerin, Emile Smith Rowe, and other notable names have turned up regularly for the first team as well.Also read: 5 Transfers that dramatically changed the fortunes of a club