Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ryan Mason has stressed the importance of top clubs giving young English players a chance to make a breakthrough in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old has himself been given the opportunity to shine at senior level for Spurs this season, making 23 appearances in the top flight and a further seven in other competitions.
Some impressive displays from the emerging talent led to an England call-up last month and, having made his debut in the 1-1 draw against Italy on Tuesday night, Mason is keen for other youngsters to now follow in his footsteps.
"You look at the Germans and the Spanish, they are not better than us technically," he is quoted as saying by FourFourTwo. "It is just they get given the opportunity younger in their league, so then they get the opportunity to come and play [here] in the Premier League. It is important to bring young players through if they are good enough.
"You see what England Under-21s are doing now, they are unbelievable. Hopefully that will continue and many more players will make the cut in the Premier League. I understand there is a lot of pressure on managers to get instant results, but English players know the league, and for them to be given the opportunity and the time as well, there is plenty of talent out there.
"Maybe some English players don't get the time. They get a couple of opportunities and if they don't perform, then that is it. The next one comes in or they bring someone in from abroad. They tend to give them [signings from overseas] a lot more time to settle in, but if English players can start coming through then it will benefit our national team."
Mason turns his attention back to club duties this afternoon, with Tottenham facing a trip to take on lowly Burnley at Turf Moor.
Daniel Lewis
