No time to develop English players, says Ferguson

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson says the Premier League’s top clubs can’t waste time developing English talent when imported players are more certain to deliver trophies.

“When you are a top four club, you have to understand that you need success right away,” Ferguson said in Shortlist magazine published on Thursday.

“You can’t wait three or four years for players to ease in, like perhaps you can with clubs who are not expected to win silverware year in, year out.

“When you are manager of Man United, there is always pressure to win things. We are one of the biggest clubs in the world and everybody associated with the club expects success, no matter how successful you have been in the past.”

Having already won the Club World Cup in December, the Red Devils are targeting a further four trophies by defending their Premier League and Champions League titles, beating Tottenham in the March 1 League Cup final and progressing in the FA Cup.

“In the last decade, we have really seen football move into a squad game,” said Ferguson, who has been at Old Trafford since 1986. “You need 20 good players to fight on all fronts.”

Ferguson has preferred to give emerging English players first-team experience by sending them on loan to rival clubs.

Striker Fraizer Campbell, 21, is at Tottenham until the end of the season while goalkeeper Ben Foster has been struggling for action since returning from a two-year stint at Watford with Edwin van der Sar unbeaten in 14 consecutive league matches.

United beat Fulham 3-0 on Wednesday to go five points clear atop the Premier League, but started with just three Englishmen – Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes. Striker Wayne Rooney came off the bench in the second half to score the final goal for the defending champions.

Ferguson has been critical of FIFA’s plans to implement restrictions on foreign players.

The “6+5″ proposal from world football’s governing body would force clubs to start matches with at least six players eligible for selection for the national team of the country in which they are based, thereby restricting teams to a maximum of five foreign players in the starting eleven.

England manager Fabio Capello has complained that he is at a disadvantage compared to other national team managers, as only 35 per cent of Premier League players are eligible for the national side.

Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and 21-year-old defender Michael Mancienne were Chelsea’s only English players in Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Watford in the FA Cup.

Arsenal used just one homegrown player, 19-year-old defender Kieran Gibbs, in Monday’s 4-0 victory over Cardiff in the FA Cup.

But Aston Villa, which is third in the Premier League, started with just three non-English players in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Cup.