Ferguson and Højlund lead the way - The most valuable U21 players in the Premier League

The Premier League is widely considered as the strongest league in world football right now - it has the highest cumulative value of any league by some distance, and teams from England won both the Champions League (Manchester City) and the Europa Conference League (West Ham) last season. Given the pressure for managers to get instant results in the English top-flight, at times opportunities for younger players are limited, but there are still a group of elite youngsters taking to the Premier League like a duck to water.

In the latest Premier League market value update on December 19, the league retained a cumulative value of €11 billion, with lots of rises for the leagues youthful talents. But who are the top 10 most valuable U21 players in the Premier League? Chelsea dominate the list.

1. Evan Ferguson - Brighton - 19 years old - €65m: Evan Ferguson broke onto the scene last season, and scored six Premier League goals in his debut campaign in the English top-flight for Brighton. This season, he has continued his progression, and scored six in just 11 starts, including a hat-trick against Newcastle. The young Irish forward has been linked with many of Europe's top clubs over the last eighteen months.

2. Rasmus Højlund - Manchester United - 20 years old - €65m: It's been a tale of two competitions so far for Rasmus Højlund at Manchester United so far. Whilst the young Dane has shown frightening pace and strength in both the Premier League and Champions League, he has scored five goals in six games in Europe and a disappointing zero in 12 in the English top-flight.

3. Levi Colwill - Chelsea - 20 years old - €55m: Despite another disastrous start to the season for Chelsea, in which the Blues sit 10th in the Premier League and have shipped 26 goals in 17 games, Levi Colwill has made some positive progress. After a steady season on loan at Brighton, he has forced his way into the Chelsea defence and made 19 appearances for the Blues this season, as well as making his debut for England back in October against Australia.

4. Roméo Lavia - Chelsea - 19 years old - €50m: After choosing Stamford Bridge over Anfield, Roméo Lavia hasn't had the start to his Chelsea career that he would have wanted following his €62.1m move form Southampton this summer. Lavia hasn't played a minute of football for his new club after the Belgian suffered an ankle injury in training.

5. Rico Lewis - Manchester City - 19 years old - €38m: Rico Lewis made his England debut aged 18 in November, and it was indicative of his start to life with the Man City first-team. The full-back, who is capable of inverting or even playing in midfield has been one of the standouts of a, compared to the usual meteoric standards of late, an average start to the season for the Sky Blues. Lewis’ €18m increase in value was the biggest rise in the entire Premier League.

6. Alejandro Garnacho - Manchester United - 19 years old - €30m: When Alejandro Garnacho scored his mesmerising overhead kick against Everton in November, the watching world was left speechless at what the teenager had pulled off. The goal has already won the league's goal of the month, is touted as a strong early contender for goal of the season, and some are even saying it's the best the Premier League has ever seen. Since then, Garnacho has been a regular starter for Man United, and has even displaced star player Marcus Rashford to the bench.

7. Harvey Elliot - Liverpool - 20 years old - €30m: Harvey Elliot started 18 games for Liverpool in the Premier League last season, but his best work has come from the bench this campaign, culminating in his late winner from the edge of the box against Crystal Palace at the beginning of December. His lack of starts has led to a -€5m decrease in value, but the potential is still there in the young Englishmen.

8. Lesley Ugochukwu - Chelsea - 19 years old - €25m: It's easy to lose track of Chelsea's current squad, given the vast amount of incomings and outgoings in recent seasons, with the singing of Lesley Ugochukwu from Stade Rennais for €27m going slightly under the radar. The French teenager has made nine league appearances for the Blues this season.

9. Malo Gusto - Chelsea - 20 years old - €25m: The fourth Chelsea player to make it into the top 10 most valuable U21 players is another new arrival in Malo Gusto. Brought in from Lyon for €30m to essentially be the understudy to club captain Reece James, injuries to the Englishmen have led to increased early opportunities at Stamford Bridge, and Gusto has in-turn already started six league games for Mauricio Pochettino's men.

10. Julio Enciso - Brighton - 19 years old - €22m: Brighton have become one of the most renowned club's in world football when it comes to their ability to scout some of the best talents from all four corners of the world. Paraguayan Julio Enciso is another one on the conveyor belt of quality on the English south-coast, after signing for €11.6m from South American side Libertad, and had six direct goal involvements in his first season in the Premier League, including a 'Puskas nominated' strike against the champions Man City.