Ranked: League One’s 20 best young players

The 2022/23 League One season is over the half-way point and there is still everything to play for at the top and bottom of the division. It's a league which is situated in between the Championship, a league below the Premier League and League Two, which is just one tier above non-league football.

It's regarded as one of the toughest leagues to get out and Sunderland can attest for that given how long it took the Black Cats to recover from relegation. Former Premier League clubs like Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Ipswich Town, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield Wednesday are all battling it out for the three promotion spots, but there's only two automatic places up for grabs, and the play-offs are a lottery.

As for the players on show in the division, there are many that have dined at England football's top table, but perhaps one of the best things about the league is that it is a place for young talent to get their grounding. Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton has dipped his toes into the loan market and signed youngsters from Premier League and Championship clubs. Jarell Quansah, Lamar Bogarde and Josh Coburn are just three players signed this season, and the latter - on-loan from Middlesbrough - has made a big impact.

Other teams in League One though have their own players to shout about and it's interesting to see how they all compare. Some clubs don't need to loan from clubs a level above them and instead have homegrown talent, which is a dream for clubs right now who have to be careful with their finances.

Below are the 20 players either 21-years-old or younger ranked by their performance rating in League One this season, as rated by WhoScored. WhoScored is used by the EFL to decide weekly, monthly and seasonal awards.