It's becoming a growing trend in the Bundesliga this year. With a number of young Premier League starlets becoming frustrated with a lack of frequent first-team opportunities, many of Britain's most promising prospects have decided to make the switch to Germany.

The most recent British star to swap the Premier League for the Bundesliga was Manchester City's Denzeil Boadu. The 20-year-old turned down an improved £30,000 per week contract from Pep Guardiola in order to secure a deal with Borussia Dortmund.

Breaking the grass ceiling

As little as 24-months-ago, it would have been a rarity to see young British talents' names on a Bundesliga team-sheet.

Instead, Boadu has joined a growing list of talent to embark on their own German adventure.

This summer alone saw five players, all under the age of 21, make the swap to Germany's top division. Had Oliver Burke not left RB Leipzig, and Dominic Solanke had given in to one of his many German admirers, the Bundesliga would be nursing seven of Britan's hottest prospects.

However, a number of stars had their heads turned by the promise of first-team football. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has sent winger Ryan Kent on loan to Freiburg, West Ham's Reece Oxford has swapped East London for Borussia Monchengladbach, Arsenal's 19-year-old forward Kaylen Hinds has made the switch to Wolfsburg, and the most notable of the group is 17-year-old Jadon Sancho, who also signed for Dortmund in a deal worth up to £8million.

Since Germany's structural reforms in the early 2000's, all the top Bundesliga clubs were inforced to provide elite facilities to enable youth development. Over the past decade, Germany has seen itself produce a wealth of homegrown talent that has helped their country achieve so much international success. Bayern Munich alone have invested £65million on revamping their services to youth progression, more than they have ever spent on an individual signing.

With such importance put on developing the next generation of stars, it's no surprise that the younger talent have opted to make the move abroad. Earlier in the year, the Bundesliga's official website ran an article entitled, 'why the Bundesliga is the go-to league for England's frustrated youngsters'. Germany's top flight feels that it offers young stars the freedom to progress their careers at the top level, something they feel the Premier League is unable to offer them.

Earning the opportunity

However, simply being a talented prospect does not guarantee you a spot come matchday. The Bundesliga has always had a tendency to ease their younger players into the first team picture. Rather than just throwing them in at the deep end, Germany's top sides understand the importance of their young foreign stars adjusting to life both on and off the pitch.

For a number of the young stars who made the move to Germany, they have had to demonstrate a degree of patience and a willingness to adapt to new conditions. "The intensity of training is different, and the style of play too", these were the words of Wolfsburg's Kaylen Hinds in an interview with the Daily Mail last month.

Although the 19-year-old enjoyed a successful preseason and played the full 90 minutes on the opening day of the year, the forward has been used sporadically during his early tenure at Die Wolfe.

Several of Hinds' fellow Brits have also endured the tough love approach from their German parents. West Ham's Reece Oxford is still yet to make an appearance for Monchengladbach this season, and Liverpool's Ryan Kent has been used as an impact sub at Freiburg.

But, that is simply a part of growing in the senior side, just because the Bundesliga offers you a platform to grow, it does not mean that you are given anything for free.

In the case of 17-year-old Jadon Sancho, the former Manchester City prospect is the perfect example of how the Bundesliga can give young stars a stage to perform on.

Upon his arrival at Westfalenstadion, their new signing was awarded Dortmund's iconic number seven shirt, a number previously worn by Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandoski. Despite not being included in Dortmund's Champions League squad for this season, Sancho has already turned himself into a fan favorite with Dortmund's supporters, most recently making an appearance against arch-rivals Bayern Munich.

With the Bundesliga's growing reputation among Europe's budding stars, Germany's top tier has shown that if a player is willing to be patient and show a professional mindset, the appearances will no doubt follow.
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