Clarence Seedorf has admitted that Italy's Serie A is a fair bit behind the quality of the English Premier League.

This week saw three Italian clubs dumped out of the Champions League, all by English teams and the AC Milan midfielder believes the Serie A is lacking.

"Finance of course can make a difference but I also think we have to be criticising ourselves," he told Sky Sports News.

"At the end, I also think it is about management and building the right projects so you can be competitive. I think in Italy that is what is lacking.

"I think the English teams have sufficient team structures.

"They've been buying the right players and even from a younger age they are now popping up.

"For example, if you look at Cristiano Ronaldo he was in Manchester when he was 17 or 18 and now he's one of the best players in the world. He makes the difference to their squad.

"It's not all about money, but of course it's important."