MX23RW : Friday, April 26 11:11:26| >> :120:4799:4799:

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
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


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!