MX23RW : Saturday, October 5 22:06:52| >> :60:1222:1222:

Gary Neville: 'Foreign footballers stunting English players' growth'

Neville: 'Foreign players harming English counterparts'
© PA Photos
Gary Neville claims that clubs in England should maintain faith in budding young English footballers and not replace them with foreign players.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that the influx of foreign footballers in the Premier League is adversely affecting the growth of young English players.

The 38-year-old, who is part of Roy Hodgson's coaching staff of the England national team, says that clubs should give more chances to local English players.

"There's a tipping point that we've gone beyond in England," BBC Sport quotes him as saying. "I think it is 35% [the proportion of English players in the Premier League] and that is too low. In Spain, it's about 63%, which sounds about right. We're maybe 20% off.

"We need to give more chances to our own. We're harming ourselves a little bit. I've watched Chelsea beat Manchester United [in the FA Youth Cup], I've watched Manchester City beat Manchester United in the Youth Cup.

"I've seen these players - Josh McEachran (on loan from Chelsea to Middlesbrough) and others. Where are they? I can't work it out. The question is, 'Is the talent being produced or is the talent being lost?' I think there are definitely pathways being blocked."

Neville made 85 appearances for England during his playing career.

ID:79054: cacheID:79054:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2323:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
England coach Gary Neville before a training session on October 11, 2012
Read Next:
Neville: 'I have been offered two or three roles'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool76011321118
2Manchester CityMan City7520178917
3Arsenal7520156917
4Chelsea6411157813
5Aston Villa6411129313
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle733187112
7Fulham7322108211
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs6312125710
9Brentford73131313010
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton623110829
11Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest62316519
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham72231011-18
13Bournemouth7223810-28
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd621358-37
15Leicester CityLeicester7133912-36
16Everton7124715-85
17Ipswich TownIpswich7043614-84
18Crystal Palace7034510-53
19Southampton7016415-111
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves7016921-121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!