YOUTH DEALS WORKING WELL
Last updated : 21 August 2003 By Editor
"We've contacts in every major footballing country and
already have plans in place for players five years from now
- young boys we know can't move for until they're 18. That's
the nature of the game these days. You track players for
much longer. Gone are the days you could wake up on a Monday
and do a deal by the Wednesday. It's a global game and
therefore a global hunt for talent.
“We were bit behind other clubs in this area and it was
something Alex wanted to address as soon as he decided to
stay. We've got a reputation for developing youth as good as
anyone in the world, and put that together with our
financial strength and we should attract the very best.
“The Sporting Lisbon agreement has worked exceptionally well
and borne fruits much quicker than we would have thought. We
have also been really pleased with the way our agreement
with Royal Antwerp has been working.
“It has given some of our players the platform to play
regular competitive football and John O'Shea is an obvious
example of someone who has benefited from that.”
