Brian McClair has warned that Manchester United's £8million state-of-the-art academy could be dominated by foreign youngsters unless FA rules on the training of young players are amended.
United's bid for a record ninth Youth Cup continues with the first leg of their semi-final at Charlton this weekend, a game which is expected to attract a crowd of around 10,000 to The Valley. At the same time, four home-grown Old Trafford stars will be preparing for England's vital Euro 2004 qualifier in Liechtenstein, proof of the importance placed on youth development by Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot has ensured the great tradition of United producing their own players has been continued, with Darren Fletcher and Kieran Richardson earmarked as the latest men who will try and emulate Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton and David Beckham as legends of the domestic game to come through the ranks. Ironically, none of that illustrious trio could have joined United if the rules which exist now had been in place during the formative stages of their footballing careers. Ferguson has already indicated his dislike for a rule which means English schoolboys can only be attached to clubs within a '90-minute drive' of their home. By preventing United from looking anywhere south of Birmingham for potential talent, McClair can see a situation where they are forced to scour the continent for first-team stars of the future. "The academy system in England is not set up to benefit Manchester United," he said. "I understand why the rules were introduced, everyone wants to protect young players but it removes the element of choice. "You may have the son of a former Manchester United player, who supports the club and wants to play for them but finds he can't because he lives in south Wales. That situation makes life very difficult for us. "We now have a marvellous training facility, with a great wealth of coaches. But it might benefit young players from France, Germany and Spain before it benefits young English boys. "You have to abide by the rules but we have to do what is best for Manchester United. "If it is appropriate for us to scout more abroad that is the line we will go down. "We all want home-based players to do well but if we find a couple of kids in France who are better, we will definitely endeavour to try and get them." It is one of the major reasons why United have been forging links with a host of clubs in far-flung corners of the globe such as the United States, South Africa and Australia. Having restructured the academies system in 1997, the FA believe it will be another four years before it can be truly established whether it is working or not. However, while they point to the emergence of Wayne Rooney at Everton as one encouraging sign, Ferguson prefers to disagree. "I don't agree with the system," he said. "I don't see the value of it at all - and I don't think we are going to produce the players everyone expects." McClair is also confused by the FA's failure to adopt the compensation system which exists across Europe, which effectively makes it far cheaper for English clubs to import players than it is to buy from other clubs in this country. "Having come through the ranks at Everton, if Wayne Rooney had suddenly decided he wanted to play for a club in Italy or Spain, it would have only cost them £120,000 maximum," he said. "If he had wanted to join Arsenal, it would have cost them millions. "I'm not saying either is right but I don't understand why we should operate under different rules." Having spent most of the season trying to emphasise the need to play properly before the desire to win, McClair admits the Youth Cup offers the opportunity of a role reversal. "The competition has given us an opportunity to prepare to win a game as the first-team would do," he said. "You get a chance to play in your own stadium in front of a reasonable crowd. "It is an achievement to reach the semi-finals, now I want them to go out and enjoy themselves and hopefully reach the final." Of United's likely starting line-up, Richardson and Danish striker Mads Timm have had first-team experience this season, while a bright future is also predicted for goalkeeper Luke Steele, a £500,000 signing from Peterborough. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Make Money Online Auctions! Make $500.00 or We Will Give You Thirty Dollars for Trying! http://us.click.yahoo.com/yMx78A/fNtFAA/i5gGAA/tsUolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************** Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe from the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
