TF90M investigates whether Sir Alex Ferguson’s comments regarding the development of young English players displays the nature of the 21st century game.
Concerns have forever raged about the development of youth players at Premier League clubs though with the public acknowledgement by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson that managers of the 'big four' do not have the time to develop young English talent, questions must surely be asked again about the future of the English game.
With the England national team having failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and the young prospects looking worryingly sparse, a number of high-profile figures have already called out for changes to be made at grassroots level. None more so than Sir Trevor Brooking, who believes the country's skills deficit is largely a function of how we coach young children.
“There is no question if the grassroots are not generating the enthusiasts, the fans, the referees, the administrators and above all the players, then the top end is going to suffer," he says. "And for me, it all begins in that crucial five-to-11 age band."
Then even when the young English players do proceed to club level, they are forced to compete with foreign imports. This is then not only a problem for the Premier League but also for other international divisions, a point concurred with by Sepp Blatter, who has been pushing for the introduction of a "6+5" rule.
The regulation would force teams to start matches with at least six players eligible to play for the national team creating a larger pool for Fabio Capello to select from, as well as helping other struggling leagues by cutting back on the number of overseas players signed.
Blatter pressed his case for the "6+5" rule at an International Football Association Boarding meeting, noting that England's four Champions League teams were represented by only nine homegrown players this week.
Chelsea used four in their 1-0 win over Juventus, Liverpool had two on the field against Real Madrid, Manchester United used three in the 0-0 draw at Inter Milan, and Arsenal beat AS Roma 1-0 with an all-foreign lineup.
Regarding this issue, talking to Shortlist magazine, Sir Alex Ferguson stated "When you are a top four club, you have to understand that you need success right away...You can't wait three of four years for players to ease in like perhaps you can with clubs who are not expected to win silverware year in year out."
The next question to pose is whether this issue solely affects the ‘top four’ sides.
Martin O’Neil has demonstrated at Aston Villa that English players can gain results, for example in their first-leg European encounter versus CSKA Moskow eight English players were fielded, whilst they sit comfortably above the all foreign Arsenal side in the Premier League.
Furthermore West Ham have for a long time demonstrated their youth system by producing home grown player after home grown player, with many other notable League sides developing local players.
However, with so much pressure mounted upon the top sides and little time to create a successful side, perhaps Sir Alex has a point. Even when the opportunity to buy a more developed English player comes along the problem then exists of an inflated price tag.
The lure of buying ready-made foreigners compared to training up a youth-team graduate is therefore much more luxurious for everyone involved at a club and hence there remains a lack of young English players coming through at the country's top clubs.
Whether or not the proposed “6+5” rule finds a place in the English game, it is important, for both the league and national team, that something is done. And soon.
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