Ranked: League One's 20 best young players - including Bristol Rovers, Reading, Charlton, Peterborough stars and more - gallery

The 2023/24 League One season is just a few games away from the half-way stage. Teams eliminated from the FA Cup had the opportunity last weekend to play their matches, whilst other games have been rescheduled.

Bristol Rovers have played 18 games, and currently 11th. Joey Barton and Andy Mangan have been in the hot seat, but at the weekend Matt Taylor will take charge of his first league game following his appointment last Friday. He suffered a 2-1 defeat to Crawley Town in the EFL Trophy, and it will be interesting to see what team he adopts against Darrell Clarke's Robins at the Memorial Stadium this Saturday (December 9).

Taylor's just a few weeks away from the transfer window opening, and it will be interesting to see what kind of approach he has when recruiting new players. Rovers in recent years favoured signing young players and utilised the loan window, signing players from Premier League and Championship clubs. Joey Barton changed his track this summer and recruited George Friend, Chris Martin and James Wilson who have a tremendous amount of EFL experience. Nevertheless, Rovers still have a young squad and new boss Matt Taylor knows that.

League One is a division for players to strut their stuff, and several youngsters have used it as a platform for bigger and better things. Peterborough United are known as a selling club, developing players from the non-league and selling them at a profit. Charlton Athletic and Reading who have had off-the-field issues in recent seasons have utilised their academies, and played a huge role in the development of young players.

Here are the 20 players either 21-years-old or younger, who have performed the best so far in the 2023/24 League One campaign. Information comes from WhoScored, which collates statistics, and helps the EFL decide their weekly, monthly and seasonal awards.