Academy revolution will deliver new breed of player – but we must bide our time

XI who started against Iceland were mainly forged outside the most successful Premier League and Football League academies.

Joe Hart was playing Conference football at Shrewsbury Town aged 17; Kyle Walker made his debut on loan from Sheffield United at Northampton Town in League One; Chris Smalling was plucked from Maidstone United in the Isthmian League.

The list goes on: Danny Rose was at Leeds United until he was 17; Dele Alli began at MK Dons in League One; Eric Dier served an apprenticeship at Sporting Lisbon; Sterling was a graduate of the then under-resourced academy at Queens Park Rangers. In most regards, the boys of 2016 are a generation from outside the highest rated “category one” academies, and if that is indeed the case, then what lies beyond for England?

Hang on a minute, the architects of the academy system would say: it also produced the world’s most expensive player, Gareth Bale, leader of Wales’s Euro 2016 semi-final heroes, who worth millions, and that can have an effect on teenage ambition.

All the evidence in terms of driving up elite sporting achievement points to striving for better facilities and better coaching. There is nothing to be gained in trying to emulate a halfimagined lost past of hardship in the hope that it will harden up British boys born in the 21st century where, for most, the standards of living are higher than any in history.

Sweeping the stands like the sepiatinted apprentices of the past? It was also cheap labour that was useless for improving your weaker foot. Clubs try now to put a greater emphasis on academic qualifications, or meaningful charity work. There is no wish to return to the sinister, hard-knocks first-team initiation ceremonies that Phil Neville talked of so fearfully in the Class of 92 documentary.

The effect of the high wages paid to teenagers is an issue the clubs are trying to address, suggesting to parents that money is paid into trusts until a player reaches a certain age. That relies, of course, on the parents not treating their own children like the proverbial cash machine, which is not something the clubs can easily control.

The Elite Player Performance Plan, the blueprint for English youth development, is four years old and only just in its second stage. It has not helped every club, and there are many critics, but it will take another 10 years at least until it can be judged as to its output of international-standard players and, given the huge change and investment to push it through, abandoning it would be madness.

There will be a new Under-21 Premier League II announced soon, which clubs hope will provide a more competitive environment for reserve teams. The Football League Trophy will include 16 under-21 and academy teams.

The Premier League says that there were 67 home-grown player debuts last year in the league, of which 50 were English. Those in the game say they are producing better players.

If the likes of Carragher and Giggs sniff a problem it cannot be ignored – they did deliver in big games for their clubs over the years. But the revolution in English football has only just started, and if it is going to be allowed to develop as planned we are going to have to be patient.