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Huddersfield boss David Wagner says England is ahead of Germany in terms of young player talent

David Wagner
Image: David Wagner feels England is full of young footballing talent

English clubs are producing better young players than their counterparts in Germany, according to Huddersfield head coach David Wagner.

Gareth Southgate's senior England side was criticised last week for its lack of top class talent after labouring to World Cup qualifying wins against Malta and Slovakia.

But former Borussia Dortmund reserve team boss Wagner insists top quality youngsters are in abundance in England compared to his home country.

When asked if there was a problem with player development in the UK, Wagner said: "No. From my point of view, and I worked a long time in Germany, full time in academies and with top young players, and what I've seen so far is that here there is unbelievable talent and potential in players (aged) 19, 20, 21.

"We have Kasey Palmer and had (Chelsea team-mate) Izzy Brown, (Leicester defender) Ben Chilwell was here - unbelievable quality, which I rarely found in Germany in this age to be honest.

"Unfortunately these are not our academy players, but academy players from other clubs. But I don't think that England has a problem."

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Ironically, Huddersfield owner and chairman Dean Hoyle is currently considering whether to follow Brentford's lead and ditch his own club's academy.

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Midfielder Philip Billing is the only player to progress from the Terriers' youth system into Wagner's first-team squad, and he joined aged 16 from Danish club Esbjerg in 2013.

Hoyle wonders whether the £2m it costs to run the academy can be justified and has yet to replace former academy manager Steve Weaver, who departed in August.

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Wagner admits the club's academy is currently a big problem

"To be fair I'm not involved in this process," said Wagner ahead of Monday's Sky Live trip to struggling West Ham. "I think this is totally the chairman and the club's decision. I read about this as well, but this is not where I'm involved.

"Of course it's a problem for a club of our size, who is now in the Premier League, to (be able to) produce Premier League players.

"It's a problem for a lot of clubs' academies to produce Premier League players and it's a problem for us for sure.

"But to solve this problem, this is something the club and the chairman has to decide."

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