How can English players develop?

Although teams such as Arsenal and Manchester United are happy enough at the moment to support the likes of Cardiff, Wigan, and West Brom by loaning out their younger players in order for them to develop the sort of technical skills they need to make it in the Premier League at the highest level, the question that should perhaps be asked is whether this is the best strategy for developing young English players.

With the Spanish sides like Real Madrid and Barcelona both boasting B teams in which their young players can get a game in a competitive league, providing them with the chance to prove that they should be considered as true talents of their generation, the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United are stuck with their reserves gaining very little from a reserve league that is limited when compared to the Premier League and Championship. What hope do players have of developing into international class when they aren't playing at the highest level?



However, there could well be a solution to the problem with regards to a lack of technically able young English players, with the sole exception of Arsenal's Jack Wilshere, that could avoid clubs seeing their players wasted on loan. In Spain's La Liga, the smaller sides still play a brand of football that would please even Arsene Wenger and, more importantly, these sides are desperate to bring players in on a small, or non-existent, budget and hope that they can adapt to the cultural differences such a temporary transfer would bring.



If the top sides did this, then surely the Spanish clubs would benefit, the wider context of English football would benefit, and the players themselves would of course benefit massively. So, the question remains: what's stopping them?