Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes England will struggle to qualify for future competitions because of ‘average’ imports in the Premier League.
The 39-year-old’s claims come as former FA chairman, David Bernstein, thinks England’s under-achieving at major tournaments will continue for the foreseeable future.
And Scholes blames a lack of first-team football in the Premier League for young English talent as the primary problem.
“Compared to La Liga and the Bundesliga, English players are not getting enough first-team time in the Premier League,” he posted on his Paddy Power blog.
“Simply, the Premier League is riddled with average foreign players.
“This is having a detrimental effect on the opportunities for young English talent and our international results.”
Scholes also criticised his former club Manchester United, believing that the imminent signing of Southampton full-back Luke Shaw for £34million signals a major issue.
“The proposed £34m transfer for Luke Shaw to United is another example of something which has a bad long-term impact,” he said.
“Clubs are priced out of this market which is why they go abroad for cheap options.
“For a left-back to be worth £34m shows how silly the game has gone.”
While the former England international suggested that young talent such as Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Barkley look promising, there is little else to be positive about.
Bernstein shares this view, blaming the influence and wealth of the Premier League for the FA’s difficulties.
“We’ve been knocked out of the World Cup again and this compounds 40 years of under-performance,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
Roy Hodgson’s side were knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage after managing just a single point from their three games in Brazil.
“We’ve had different managers, different players and, by and large, the same results. Is there a connection between that and governance-structure issues?” added Bernstein.
“Of course there is. As in any organisation, if you’re not right at the top, the rest won’t be right.
“The Premier League has £3-4billion of income and is a fantastic product, nobody disputes that. The FA has £300million, less than one tenth of the income. So it’s outgunned financially.
“The FA is not capable, in my view, of self-reform and without change, we will continue with this disappointing cycle.
“Real progress is not possible. It will need legislation or a regulator imposed to make the changes.”
Bernstein’s successor Greg Dyke proposed a reform plan for the national game, including inserting a B-team league in the football pyramid, in a bid for long-term success.
However, the idea has so far been universally opposed by fans, clubs and FA members.
Main image courtesy of Sky Sports via YouTube, with thanks.
