The alternative table that has West Ham and Palace…

The alternative table that has West Ham and Palace ahead of Liverpool & champions Man City

It may have been Manchester City and Liverpool who led the way in terms of goals scored and final standings, but it's an unlikely duo who top the charts in another area.

The Sportsman have carried out research into how clubs in the Premier League used academy graduates during the 2018/19 season.

Manchester United, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton are among the top ranking sides for minutes given to their academy graduates, but it's an unlikely London duo who lead the charts.

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West Ham and Crystal Palace are officially the top clubs in the Premier League for handing first team opportunities to academy graduates.

Members of the Eagles' academy were given 6095 first tram minutes collectively, while the Hammers gave 5978 minutes to their young stars.

Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum are Watford and Cardiff City.

Both clubs failed to hand a single minute of first team action to graduates from their youth academies.

While no prizes will be given to West Ham and Crystal Palace for topping these charts, it's certainly something which will give them plaudits.

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Clubs in the Premier League have been criticised for the lack of first team opportunities available to their young stars, with many preferring to spend large sums on players from elsewhere.

However if the Hammers and Eagles can continue in this way then they're bound to save an awful lot of money if they can grow their own young talents, instead of paying over the odds for talent from further afield.

League minutes given to youth products in 2018/19

Crystal Palace - 6095

West Ham - 5978

Manchester United - 5013

Leicester - 4855

Tottenham - 4610

Southampton - 3477

Brighton - 3153

Arsenal - 3026

Newcastle - 2673

Liverpool - 2467

Fulham - 2312