LONDON, Sept 5: Trevor Brooking, English football director of development, says England’s long-term chances of success are being undermined by the rising number of foreign players in the Premier League.

Brooking, who earned 47 caps for England during his playing career, told the BBC’s Inside Sport TV programme that there was now a lack of depth of talent in key positions in English football.

“(The national team) has to be under threat – the numbers show that. I don’t think you can underestimate it. It’s a major concern. In 10 years’ time you don’t want us just being pleased to qualify for tournaments.”

His comments came on the day a report showed that English clubs spent more money on new players than ever before – but that much of it was spent abroad on foreign players.

Research by the BBC showed that while 76 per cent of the starting line-ups that played on the first weekend of the first Premier League season in 1992-93 were English, only 37 per cent were English on the first weekend of this season three weeks ago. Only 10 per cent (23 players) of the starting elevens in 1992 were from outside Britain, while this season that number had increased to 56 per cent (123).—Reuters