IF THEY’RE GOOD ENOUGH, THEY’RE OLD ENOUGH
How the Premier League’s homegrown rule has helped England build towards the World Cup in Qatar
SIR Matt Busby's famous words still decorate the dressing rooms at Old Trafford, and it is a sporting mantra which has been evident in Gareth Southgate's selection policy in recent years.
This has been aided in no small part by the Premier League's homegrown player rule, which has given young players far more exposure to top-flight football from a young age.
Introduced in 2015 by former FA Chairman Greg Dyke, the homegrown rule was meant to be key to England winning the 2022 World Cup, but just how big of an impact has it had?
The rule is designed to increase the number of domestic players playing regularly in the top flight at a young age, to help nurture their talents and prepare them for international duty at an earlier stage, and forms part of the Premier League's ‘Elite Player Performance Programme' (EPPP).
Currently, Premier League clubs are allowed a maximum of 17 ‘nonhomegrown' players out of a squad of 25, meaning they must have at least eight ‘homegrown' players.
A ‘homegrown' player is defined as a player who, regardless of age or nationality, has been registered at a club affiliated with the FA or Welsh FA for three years before age 21.
However, U21 players are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players per squad.
In 2015 when Dyke's proposal was first introduced, only 22% of starting players at the top four clubs were eligible to play for England, down from 28% two years prior.
Fears that not enough English talent was making the step up from junior football to the elite level were illustrated by the fact just four players from the U17 side that won the 2010 European Championship had gone on to play more than 20 Premier League games.
The Spanish side that England beat in the final had twice that number featuring in La Liga.
But fast forward to recent times and the picture is very different.
Last season, the Premier League commissioned an independent report assessing the league's homegrown talent development.
Between the 2012/13 and 2020/21 seasons, the Premier League and its clubs invested £1.6bn into the EPPP, benefitting more than 90 academies across the football pyramid.
This investment, plus the stricter rules on homegrown players, has seen a sharp rise in the match time of young English players over the last few seasons.
In 2019/20, the league recorded a 50% increase in minutes played by U23 homegrown players compared to the previous three seasons.
Meanwhile, 38.3% of starting players in 2020/21 were homegrown the highest proportion in 12 years.
At the academy level, the investment also brought a 220% increase in the number of full-time academy coaches between 2013/13 and 2019/20, up from 250 to 800.
The combination of long-term investment and the requirement for clubs to give more minutes to young English players in order to fulfil homegrown player rules has begun to bear fruit on the international stage.
A large number of current senior England players, all of whom featured in the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Euro squads, were products of the EPPP.
They include Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount and Declan Rice.
All of these players began featuring regularly for their clubs at a very young age, and are now established international and European stars with years of experience heading into the World Cup in Qatar.
Unlike in 2010, when an international trophy at youth level did not translate into senior minutes, England's 2017 U19 European Championship-winning squad is filled with names who have gone on to play at the highest level.
Aaron Ramsdale, Reece James and Mason Mount are all regular senior England players, and England's current U19 squad look set to follow in their footsteps after winning this year's tournament in July.
But most impressive is the U17 World Cup-winning squad from the same year.
Six of that squad have gone on to make full England appearances, with Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Marc Guehi, Callum Hudson-odoi, Emile Smith-rowe and Conor Gallagher all earning senior caps.
With Gareth Southgate set to name his 26-man England World Cup squad this week, there's no doubt that having so many young players with a wealth of Premier League and European football experience is a massive boost.
Although not solely responsible, the homegrown player rule has been a key part of this, and coupled with significant youth academy investment, continues to help nurture English talent as early as possible in the Premier League.
England kick off their World Cup campaign in Qatar against Iran on 21 November at 1pm, followed by games against USA and Wales as they hope to top Group B.