(Credit: Imago, BBC West Midlands)

Callum O'Connell

Fri 22 May 2026 7:45, UK

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Manchester United‘s former chief scout believes the English academy system is “broken” and more must be done to support clubs lower down the food chain.

In recent years, bigger clubs are prioritising the influx of young talent from Under-15s onwards, and are able to easily poach players from smaller clubs.

With the growing influence at agents even at academy level, there have been instances of young players demanding wages on par with first-team stars.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that agent involvement and the ease of which players can move clubs must be completely overhauled.

Smaller clubs are constantly on the wrong end of these deals, with academy directors and club chiefs now beginning to speak out to vent their frustrations.

Ex-Man United scout warns academies must be overhauled

Football Insider exclusively revealed on 11 May that Man United want Crystal Palace’s Lucca Benetton, having been impressed by the 15-year-old’s performances.

The goalkeeper is unable to sign a professional deal at Selhurst Park until he turns 18, leading to suggestions he could be snapped up by the bigger club.

Crystal Palace are just one of a number of clubs who have found their academy raided recently, with key players picked up by the likes of United, Chelsea and Man City.

“There have always been problems with academy recruitment,” Brown told Football Insider.

“When you listen to what the Wolves technical director is saying about the situation there, it’s hard to disagree with him that the system is broken at the moment.

“Agents are getting in these players’ ears and going on to the clubs trying to get them big wages and contracts, and it’s not in the best interest of either of them.

“The clubs don’t want to fork out massive wages on a 15 or 16-year-old who might never make it, so then the players move to a Chelsea or a Man United.

“But how many of those players that make that jump away from their original academies, how many of them have made it into the first team?

“Of course, there have been a few notable players and that’s why these big clubs want to recruit players, but too often they find themselves without a route in.

“A player playing for somebody like Wolves, Crystal Palace or West Ham, where they’ve developed from a kid until they’re ready for the first team, should get minutes.

“If he them jumps ship and goes to join Man United or Chelsea, because it’s far too easy for them to do that, what’s to say he’s going to have that same chance?

“Moving kids around at academy level in search of big contracts should not be what the game is about, it should be about what’s best for these young players.

“The whole thing needs a complete overhaul from the FA to give more power to clubs to stop it happening, and there has got to be something done about these agents being involved.”

Which other clubs have found their academies raided?

While Crystal Palace are the latest club to have their top talents eyed by bigger clubs, the issue goes far deeper, causing issues for almost every club in England.

Wolves’ technical director Matt Jackson recently explained how difficult it can be to keep their best young talents, insisting “there’s nothing we can do” if big clubs come in.

“The academy system in this country is set up to channel the best players to the biggest clubs”, Jackson told BBC West Midlands, “There’s nothing we can do about it.

“We received last week demands for one of out Under-16 players from an agent, and we have a decision to make on that agent walking that player out of our football club.”

He went on to explain the details behind trying to keep these players around, with other clubs also struggling, as Football Insider revealed Tottenham’s move to sign West Ham’s Elisha Sowunmi in yet another example of the ongoing issues.