By Daily Sports on November 16, 2017

The debate about how the pathway for young English players to feature more for elite clubs is raging. Some are of the opinion that the English FA most be more proactive in forcing clubs to play more English players so that English youth players can continue their impressive progress that has seen the country win almost all the recognised youth football tournaments this year.

Suffice it to say that it is not only in England that the struggle of young players to get a look in and make their break into top clubs. Here in Nigeria, for example, many clubs in the Premier League are stuck with old men and are simply unwilling or lack the philosophical know-how to make use of young and talented grassroots players. In other words, they are not brave enough to give youth a chance.

Speaking about the English FA’s plight in trying to see English youth given more of a chance by top premier League sides in England, Manchester United former star Gary Neville defends the FA thus: “People ask the wrong question about what the FA can do to get these young players further forward in their careers. They can’t, it’s impossible.

“These players belong to Premier League football clubs. Those clubs won’t play those players and in two years the FA can’t pick them because they won’t be playing for their clubs.

“There is no joined-up approach between the FA and the Premier League. They’ll argue there is but there isn’t. The Premier League will tell you they’ve got the EPPP and the FA will tell you they have their National Centre, so they’ve both got good individual programmes, but they are totally detached.”

Neville goes further to point fingers at the pressure from club owners who are desperate for immediate returns for their investments as the reason why coaches are afraid to play young English players, saying:

“It is about owners of the Premier League clubs and the £100m that is basically at stake every season, and managers being under pressure for short-term success.

“Why would a manager who knows he is going to get sacked if doesn’t keep himself in the Premier League, or win the Premier League or get into Europe, invest in a 17-year-old who is going to have 30-40 games making mistakes? It’s a flawed system.

“The FA can’t do anything about it. We’ve heard Gareth Southgate talking about only picking players who are regular starters for their clubs, which seems a sensible approach, but the reality is he can’t ring up Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp or Arsene Wenger asking them to play his players.”

Neville adds: “I don’t believe the pathway is there and it is basically a top-down problem because the owner wants success and the £100m minimum and the manager has got to deliver that, so why would you take the risk and invest in youth?

“Why would you pick a 17-year-old right-back if your job was on the line as a manager? Unless your club is invested in the whole belief system of youth, which some clubs are.

“Tottenham with Mauricio Pochettino, Southampton, Manchester United over the years, Everton and Liverpool have been good, but some clubs are not invested in youth in terms of true investment and getting them into the first-team. They don't know what they are missing.”

Source Daily Sports

Posted November 16, 2017

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