OLDEST SQUADS IN EUROPE 1. Torpedo Zhodino (BLR) 29.4) 2. Fenerbahce (TUR) 29.3 3. Slutsk (BLR) 29.2 4. Atalanta (ITA) 29.1 Podbeskidzie (POL) 29.1 6. Metalist Kharkiv (UKR) 28.9 7. Man City (ENG) 28.8 Juventus (ITA) 28.8 Arsenal Tula (RUS) 28.8 Advertisement

Manchester City have the oldest squad of any major team in Europe when ranked by average age, and the seventh oldest among more than 500 clubs across the biggest 31 top divisions, new research shows.

Manuel Pellegrini’s players have an average age of 28.8 years, and only six other sides across the continent are older, several of them lowly and / or largely unknown: Torpedo Zhodino of Belarus (29.4 years), Fenerbahce of Turkey (29.3), Slutsk of Belarus (29.2), Atalanta of Serie A (29.1), Podbeskidzie of Poland (29.1) and Metalist Kharkiv of Ukraine (28.9).

While City do have some relatively young regulars, with 23-year-old centre half Eliaquim Mangala foremost among them, they also have a dozen first-team squad members in their 30s or who will turn 30 on their next birthday, including Frank Lampard (36), Martin Demichelis (33), Yaya Toure (31), Gael Clichy (29), Jesus Navas (29) and Aleksandar Kolarov (29).

Manchester City have the seventh oldest squad in Europe, with an average age of 28.8 years

Manuel Pellegrini's squad is also the oldest in the Premier League ahead of Crystal Palace and Stoke

Yaya Toure (31) is one of many of City's first-team players over the age of 30

OLDEST PREMIER LEAGUE SQUADS 1. Man City 28.8 2. Crystal Palace 28.4 3. Stoke 28.1 4. West Brom 27.8 5. QPR 27.7 6. Everton 27.3 7. Leicester 27.2 Hull 27.2 Advertisement

Italy's Serie A is the top division with the oldest average age of players across all clubs combined, at 27.3 years, followed by Russia’s top division (27.2), Cyprus’s (26.9) and then the Premier League (26.8).

Within the Premier League, City's squad is the oldest followed by Crystal Palace (28.4), Stoke (28.1), West Brom (27.8) and QPR (27.7).The youngest five squads among England’s elite belong to Newcastle (25.3), Manchester United (25.4), Southampton (25.6), Liverpool (25.7) and Arsenal (26).

The youngest top division in Europe is The Netherlands’ Eredivisie, where players average just 24.2 years old across the board. At Heerenveen, the average age is a staggeringly low 22.6 years, while even at big clubs it is low, including PSV (22.8) and Ajax (23.5).

Premier League veteran Frank Lampard (36) joined on a free from Chelsea in the summer

At 26 years of age, red hot striker Sergio Aguero is one of the younger members of City's squad

OLDEST SQUADS BY LEAGUE 1. Italy 27.3 2. Russia 27.2 3. Cyprus 26.9 4. England 26.8 Turkey 26.8 Advertisement

All the numbers are among a range of new figures published in a ‘digital atlas’ by expert analysts from the Football Observatory in Switzerland.

Another area of the study considers the amount of foreign players in each league - and the Premier League has a higher percentage of imports than any top division aside from Cyprus. Some 59 per cent of all current Premier League players are foreign imports.

Within the league, Chelsea have the most (87 per cent of Chelsea players are imported), then City (79.2 per cent), then Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. Burnley has the smallest number of foreign players (23.1 per cent), then Leicester and Palace.

As our accompanying graphic shows, the biggest single source of foreign players currently in the Premier League is France, with 48 French players at Premier League clubs now. There are 23 players from each of Argentina and Spain, 19 from Ireland and 17 from Belgium.

The graphic also shows the major sources of foreign players in selected other major leagues. Argentina is the No 1 source in Italy and Spain.