Of the 220 players who started Premier League games last weekend, 84 qualify to play for England. That's 38 per cent.

Should England stumble at next summer's European Championship the focus will be on the native talent shortage, its causes and what to do about it.

In La Liga, by comparison, last weekend's percentage of players available to Spain manager Vicente del Bosque was 60.5; in the Bundesliga the domestic player figure was 53 per cent.

England's future: Welbeck, Jones and Smalling are three players who could have benefited from learning the game together

Statistics such as these may alarm Fabio Capello's successor and the FA, but as Ged Roddy, Director of Youth at the Premier League, pointed out: 'If we don't do something, it won't be 32-38 per cent in five years' time, it'll be 20 per cent. We have to move now.'

The fear of a worsening ratio for the next England manager to cope with is one reason why Roddy and academy managers such as Brian McClair at Manchester United and Alan Irvine at Everton are part of a two-year consultation with numerous parties including the FA that has produced EPPP - the Elite Player Performance Plan.

The plan is contentious because, as the word elite suggests, the intention is to streamline the academy system. This is a historic crossroads.

Clubs of the scale of United and Everton are assured of Category 1 status, and there is anxiety in the Football League that these clubs could poach young players for far less money than they can now - which is why 22 clubs voted against EPPP. Clubs such as Leeds United are outraged.

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