Adam Underwood believes English football need to consider the B team model, to give young players enough exposure to senior football.
The Leeds Academy manager believes that the B-team could be another pathway aside going on loan or playing in the Premier League 2.
“We are arriving at a juncture where there are questions around the suitability of U21s football for the development of players for the Premier League,” he said in an interview with Training Ground Guru.
“I think there are lots of examples where the answer is yes, it is suitable. But there are also players that don’t have that conventional route through and need to go and play senior football.
Underwood on Leed’s loan system
The Englishman says the loans at Leeds have led to mixed results over the years for the club:
“Going out on loan is the best option at present and the challenges that come with that are clear – you don’t control what happens when they go. Charlie Cresswell is out now at the moment at Millwall along with Jamie Shackleton – and we have a number of players out having good experiences.
“But there are also instances where loans are not successful and there is not a mechanism at the moment to allow that to change.”
Adam Underwood has been Leeds United Academy manager since 2014. He has seen the transition of the likes of Pascal Struijk, Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville among others into the first team at Elland Road.
