Southampton football director Les Reed has hit out at the FA's plans for a 'B League'.

FA chairman Greg Dyke unveiled a raft of proposals yesterday that are aimed at boosting both the number and quality of English players at the top level of club football in the country.

"There's talk about a B league sitting between the Conference and League Two, in order that our young English players can get the experience of playing at the top level," Reed told the Daily Echo.

"I don't understand that definition.

"Why would we want to develop elite players for international and Premier League football by playing them in a league that sits just above the Conference?

"We've got a terrific conveyor belt of players coming through our under-16s, under-18s, under-21s - each of those age groups are the youngest age groups in the Premier League, so we've got the youngest under-21 team, the youngest under-18 team, and the reason is five of them are in the first team.

"That, to me, seems to be a much better model.

"James Ward-Prowse will tell you that playing against Morgan Schneiderlin in training every day, working with him, playing with him on the pitch, playing with Victor Wanyama, international players of that calibre, makes him a better midfield player.

"He's not going to get that playing against teams at League Two level and the Conference, so I think the idea (that) another league playing lower than League Two is going to make our young players better, I just don't see the logic in that.

"I think it's laughable."