Gareth Southgate worried by England’s shrinking talent pool

England manager Gareth Southgate has bemoaned the limited opportunities for young players in the Premier League.

England head coach Gareth Southgate. Picture: Getty Images

Gareth Southgate says the Premier League’s shrinking pool of homegrown talent could force him to look outside the top flight to fill his England squad.

Southgate has named his first squad since the World Cup as he prepares for the start of their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

In picking his group to face Spain and Switzerland next month, Southgate resisted the temptation to call up a number of promising youngsters.

Instead, he bemoaned the fact that the number of eligible England players in the Premier League had dropped and pointed to the second tier as a way of potentially addressing the issue.

“I can’t rule out players in the Championship now as our pool is getting smaller,” Southgate said. “There is this link between 17 to 21 where the bridge into first-team football and the financial power of the Premier League has a big impact.

“If players are as good as any young players around the world, that opportunity needs to be there.”

AFP