A homegrown player is a player who, regardless of their nationality or age, has been affiliated with any English or Welsh club for a period of three entire seasons or 36 months before their 21st birthday.

The same rules apply to players who have three seasons or 36 months as a registered player prior to the end of the season in which that player turns 21.

An example of this is Chelsea’s Brazilian striker Joao Pedro. The 23-year-old, born in Sao Paulo, joined Watford in 2020 aged 18. Because he spent three consecutive years before turning 21 in England, he is considered homegrown.

Another case where the homegrown rule comes into effect is Arsenal winger Noni Madueke.

Madueke, 23, joined PSV Eindhoven’s academy in June 2018 as a 16-year-old and did not return to England until January 2023, joining Chelsea two months before his 21st birthday.

Because Madueke had been an academy player at Crystal Palace and Tottenham prior to moving to Eindhoven, he is still classed as homegrown.

The rules on this differ to Uefa’s rules on homegrown players. The qualifying period for a player only counts between the ages of 15 and 21, where as the Premier League’s starting age is much younger.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.