Manchester United boss Sir Alex
Ferguson believes clubs are being forced to look elsewhere for
future talent due to Academy restrictions.
The Scottish tactician is keen to add Britain's best and brightest
to the Red Devils' academy, although travel restrictions limit who
the club can sign.
FA guidelines state youngsters under 12 have to live within an
hour's travel time of the club and that is forcing the likes of
United, Arsenal and Liverpool to look elsewhere.
"The academy system I don't think is working, because there's an
hour's restriction on travel," stated Ferguson.
"Manchester United, and, particularly Arsenal have to look
somewhere else and other clubs are doing it, now Liverpool too are
venturing into Spain in a big way.
"We're having to look world wide to get the best young players into
our club, because the expectation and need for Manchester United to
do well, so that's a big problem.
"That needs a lot of soul-searching from the people who operate the
academies. Something has to be done I think. It's in danger of
falling apart."
Arsenal have often been criticised for preferring foreigners over
home-grown talent, but Ferguson believes the fault lies with the
system - not Arsene Wenger.
"Your obvious slant is towards Arsenal," he continued on the lack
of British talent in the Premiership. "Arsene Wenger is very strong
on French football and African players.
"Why should he not take advantage? The problem doesn't lie with
Arsene Wenger, it's with the system.
"When the academies were set up, Howard Wilkinson said England
would win the World Cup within 10 years. Well, they have been going
eight now and I can't see it."
Gary Neville recently hit out at agents and Ferguson has revealed
an agent had to be banned from the club's Carrington training
ground for 'tapping up' youngsters.
"In an ideal world he (Neville) is correct. There's nothing wrong
with players taking advice.
"I say investigate the payments they have. They're taking a lot of
money out of football, that's obvious.
"So much so that they are able to buy players. That's a dangerous
precedent because then they can control the market.
"If they have a responsible attitude towards the industry then
there's nothing wrong with that.
"We had a situation recently with an agent coming to the academy
and tapping up young players from 12 years of age.
"We barred him - so he started to wait outside the academy picking
out the cars of the parents, stopping them and tapping them
up."
So many restrictions for wat??..!!