England lack teen talent from the top table

14 April 2012

When England Under-18s take the field against Scotland at Hartlepool tonight the natural assumption is that Britain's top clubs will provide the talent on show. Wrong.

No players from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will be in the squad, which reinforces the belief that future England internationals are more likely to be developed at less fashionable clubs, where financial constraints make youth development imperative.

Arsenal's Kerrea Gilbert would have appeared tonight, although the club deemed a top-of-the-table reserve clash against Charlton more important. However, Liam Brady, Arsenal's head of youth, refutes suggestions that the club are not committed to producing England players.

"We are doing our job for the England team despite what some people might think," said Brady who points out that the club supply players to every international age group - right up to the full team. Perhaps more significant is that, although Sven-Goran Eriksson's last squad contained seven players from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, only Ashley Cole and John Terry have progressed through the clubs' youth systems.

Brady remains defiant. "Our academy has produced as many players for the Under-21s as anybody, and we think the likes of Ryan Smith will go on and represent England at that level as well," he said.

"We have two or three that haven't been selected for the Under-18 side that are really good players but we've got no input in the selection process and neither do we want to. I think by the time they get to be Under-21 internationals the selection process is that much better. We've had a number of boys who have played for the Under-21s but haven't played for their country at younger levels."

Part of the reason for that is the different rates at which young players develop. Those that are physically stronger at the age of 15 and 16 will naturally come to the fore, particularly if they can combine those attributes with technical ability.

However, this can be problematic if squad selection is inflexible - there is a widely held belief that a place in the England side at Under-16 level almost guarantees selection in subsequent years. England Under-18 head coach Dick Bate admits his side differs little from last year's Under-17s, though he is adamant that players who mature later do have the opportunity to break through.

But for many youngsters it is breaking through at club and not international level that is their main concern. Indeed Chelsea's biggest obstacle is convincing some of the most promising young players in the country they can progress at a club who can afford to pay just about any fee in the transfer market

That is certainly not the case at Charlton,

who place g reat emphasis on the need to produce home-grown talent. The south-east London club, who have two players - centre-forward James Walker and leftback Nathan Ashton - in the England Under-18 squad, take great pride in the international recognition afforded many of their young players.

"I think it's good for anybody who gets an international call-up," said Steve Gritt, Charlton's youth academy manager. "For me it's all part of their football education, when they can go away and train under international coaches - it's a learning experience.

"But James and Nathan are certainly with a club that if they do progress in the right manner they will be given a chance. Look at young Jerome Thomas, though he came from Arsenal he was given an opportunity and he's grabbed it with both hands."

England U18s v Scotland U18s tonight (live on Sky Sports 1, 6pm)

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Ben Alnwick (Sunderland), Nathan Ashton (Charlton), Fraizer Campbell (Man Utd), Nathan Doyle (Derby), Chris James (Fulham), Joe Lewis (Norwich), Lee Martin (Man Utd), Mark Noble (West Ham), Ben Park (Leeds), Shane Paul (A Villa), Levi Porter (Leicester), Kyel Reid (West Ham), Gary Roberts (Crewe), Paul Huntington (Newcastle), James Walker (Charlton), David Wheater (M'boro), Paul Green (Aston Villa), Lionel Ainsworth (Derby)

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England lack teen talent from the top table

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