'To actually get in and stay in the team nowadays you've got to be world class': Steven Gerrard and football's top brass discuss the problems facing young footballers in new BT Sport film

• e-mail

With the increasing demand for immediate success in elite football, the problem of working with and integrating youth players into a first team squad continues to grow for those working within the game.

A new film titled 'No Hunger in Paradise', based on the book of the same name by award-winning journalist and author Michael Calvin, aims to explore the difficulties facing young players today.

The BT Sport documentary, which airs on January 7th, features some of football’s most famous names including Arsene Wenger, Steven Gerrard and Gareth Southgate looking at the increasingly questionable ways that football academies work at top Premier League clubs and the impact it has on England’s youth team players.

Arsene Wenger has been blooding youngsters for over 20 years in his time at Arsenal

Arsene Wenger 

Arsene Wenger has been blooding youngsters for over 20 years at Arsenal but he admits the relentless pressure to win at the top affects the amount of time he can coach youth prospects.

You’ve spoken about that pressure. You’re in a hugely pressurised role. With the multi-faceted demands that are made on you, as a manager. How much can you concentrate on the academy process?

'I do highly concentrate on the academy process, and what I have lost in the last 10, 12 years is I’ve had to dedicate much more time to the first team and the environment. The media demands for example that are huge now. So I have to give much more time to the first team and have a restricted availability to take care of the young boys. But, I still follow up and I think its one of the parts of my job that I enjoy the most, to give a chance to young people.

'Let's not forget that basically what it is about in the academy. Is first, recruitment, number two – quality of education, number three – moment of integration into the first team. That final part is the most difficult nowadays. It goes always through me. I will decide, yes he has a chance, or yes he might not make it.'

He admits that pressure to win affects the amount of time he can coach the club's prospects

There is a huge concentration on that talent search. We’ve got examples of 13 year olds being offered guaranteed two-year pro contracts at £45,000 a week, which must fry their brains. From a moral standpoint rather than a sporting standpoint is that defensible?

'The pressure is suddenly very early on a young boy. Because the family many times stops to work to take care of the boy, which is understandable looking at the amount of income. And we have gone from a society where your father told you if you don’t work well at school, I will stop you playing football. To a system where the father asks the boy, how did you practice today?'

Is there natural English talent out there?

'There is huge English natural talent out there and the best way to prove that and to check that is if you look at the results of the young boys in England youth teams at international level. They start to win competitions, they start to exist in every big competition with the youth level. That means the talent is there. Now we go into a process number three, the integration. I would say today, many, many, many clubs do well part one and part two, quality of education, because there’s a lot work that has been done in England. We all fail in part three, integration into the first team.

'Nobody has found a miraculous solution because the Premier League has become so demanding that the gap between youth and reserve level and the Premier League is so big that all the managers sit there and sweat on the Friday night and finally think – let’s be conservative, we’ll see next week!'

Wenger insists you only have to look at results to see there is a lot of young, English talent

Steven Gerrard 

Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard has recently made the transition from player to coach. The Champions League winner is now in charge of Liverpool's Under-18 side and he insists that young players have to be world class nowadays in order to earn and retain a regular first team place.

What about the academy structure as it is. We’re here, fantastic facilities, perfect pitches. Is that the perfect preparation for real life football?

'I think the key is to make them realise what they have to do to stay here, and it’s not like this everywhere. So to make the most of your time and don’t have any regrets when you’re moving on further into your career. There’s not getting away from it, this environment is a special environment. 

'They’ve got everything. Pitches, indoor, outdoor. The turf’s like a bowling green. They get lovely food. The staff are amazing here. So I suppose they do get too much too soon and the environment can be too nice for them but it’s down to us staff to make them realise that they are lucky and to make the most of it.'

Steven Gerrard has recently taken charge of Liverpool's Under-18s side after retiring 

One of the key areas that the game has changed, we’re no longer seeing the street footballer if you like. The lad who maybe like yourself in Huyton kicking a ball around the estate. Does that come across when you get these kids coming through the system that they’re not streetwise anymore?

'We do have to keep some kind of street environment in there and we can’t ban them from playing from the school team too early. We can’t ban them from playing on Sunday with their friends too early, because, speaking from my own experience, playing football in the street helped me, toughened me up. 

'Playing football on the playground helped me, playing Sunday league and I still had Liverpool’s academy but I got the best of both worlds.

Gerrard claims some players don't realise how hard it is to make it to the top nowadays

'I think the main one is that I loved the game. I couldn't wait to start full-time at 16. I couldn't wait for it to be my profession. My life was based around football and that was my priority. I used to come in every day to learn and to improve. 

'Looking back now I had big, big determination to get into Liverpool's first team and I was almost obsessed. I don't think you can succeed over a long period without hunger. I think talent and ability gets you a certain distance but then you've got to have all the other things around you, the desire, the commitment, the sacrifice.'

Do the boys coming through the system understand the reality of the game and how difficult it is to make it? 

'Some realise how hard it is to make it in the game and the penny drops with them a bit earlier than others. Some come in and think its a game of football or a training session and they don't realise the harsh reality maybe until they're told that it's over or they get released or are moved on from the football club. 

'And I bet you it hits them hard and they say to themselves "Why didn't I switch on earlier? Why didn't I understand quicker that this is a brutal environment that is very, very tough to get through".

Gerrard insists players have to be world class now in order to keep a regular first team place

'You see a lot of players getting towards the fringes of teams or they get to Under-23 level and they're stuck and can't really get that chance, or when the chance comes they don't do themselves justice and the next chances takes longer and longer to come. 

'So to actually get in and stay in nowadays with the way the game has gone you've got to be world class. I've been saying for a short while now, if you're a very good player at the top six or eight clubs in the Premier League, then you're probably not going to get in and stay in.'

Gareth Southgate 

England manager Gareth Southgate has a promising future on the horizon following the country's successful year in youth tournaments across the globe.

The Three Lions won the Under-17 World Cup, the European Under-19 Championship and the Under-20 World Cup among others in 2017. Southgate discussed which other national youth systems he admires.

When you look around the world, which countries impress you in terms of the development of a young player?

'There are examples of really good practice, places like Switzerland where at international level you know every team that you play against within their group is going to play the same way. They’re all coached in a similar way, they have regional centres which I think is a real plus.

England manager Gareth Southgate spoke of other systems he admires around the world

'So some of the smaller countries have less resource but that makes them a bit more creative and it also means they buy in a bit more to what the governing body’s doing. 

'Ours is so big, that we’ve a few more battles within that and it’s not as straight-forward to get everybody on the same page.'

Joey Barton 

Premier League midfielder Joey Barton claims the amount of money handed to youngsters in the modern game provides unnecessary problems that distract players from focusing on their development.

Is there a case of too much too soon, I know it’s spoken about a lot recently?

'They shouldn’t be giving these kids more than they need, you know a 17, 18 year old, there’s not much you need, you're living at home with your mum dad or living in digs. 

'If you’re getting anything over £400, £500, £600 it’s only going to get you in trouble so it’s only going to go in the bookies or on stupid clothes, or stupid watches or stupid birds, it’s not gonna go on your football development.'

Joey Barton claims the money handed to youngsters provides unnecessary problems

James Ward-Prowse 

Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse rose through the youth ranks at St Mary's and has now made just under 200 appearances for the first team.

He insists that the approach of the Saints' academy to give young players a chance is very positive for English football.

What about the mentality of the club (Southampton) itself? As a young player how much does it do for you when you realise that the club can invest in young players?

'From a young age we were all told that if you were good enough than you were old enough in a way. We all knew that and we all had that in insight and that’s a great positive for English football. 

'You know if you are good enough and then the club will give you chance. The club has certainly seen a lot of talented young players play for this football club and I’m sure there will be plenty more coming through.'

James Ward-Prowse rose through the ranks at Southampton from youth player to the first team

• Watch ‘No Hunger in Paradise’ exclusively on BT Sport 1 from 6:30pm on Sunday 7th January. For more info visit www.BT.com/sport