A member of the famed Manchester United 'Class of 92', Nicky Butt has called for the number of games at Under-18 level to be reduced in order to aid the development of young players. The 38 year old is presently in charge of the Manchester United side competing in the inaugural UEFA Youth League.
He feels in order for young players to maximise their potential, they need to be exposed to more styles of football, rather than the week-to-week domestic combat.
"People keep saying things are not right but no-one does anything about it," he said. "We just go round in circles.
"Unless the games schedule drops, we stop worrying about the young kids winning and concentrate more on educating them for the future, nothing will change.
"We are obsessed by games. Why not reduce the number at Under-18 level from 30 to 20 and let the FA or Premier League provide the finance for teams to go across Europe for a week.
"Have mini competitions. Get three or four valuable 90 minute games in with a bit of a crowd.
"There is no better education than playing foreign teams. Even if you get beaten by four or five, you will learn more than another game against rivals you have had since you were 12.
"You don't learn anything from that."
