Analysis: When and where do players make their professional debut?

Despite having no prior senior football experience, Southampton’s Romeo Lavia has played all 270 minutes of this season’s Premier League, and the Manchester City-raised Belgian is one of many players to make his professional debut at the highest level.
Off The Pitch analyses all players who have made their professional debut in one of the big-five European leagues since the 2015/16 season to identify when and where players are given their first playing time.
Why it matters: Developing talents is not only beneficial from a sporting perspective but can be an important part of clubs’ financial strategy.
The perspective: With player trading having become crucial, we could see a trend in the next few years towards ever younger debutants.

Since the 2015/16 season, more than 1,200 players have made their professional debut in one of the big-five leagues, and several players have already been given their first playing time at the highest level in the new season.

Among these players is Southampton’s Romeo Lavia who joined from Manchester City earlier this summer. With no prior senior football experience, the 18-year-old Belgian has played all 270 minutes in the f

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