FA CRITICISE LIVERPOOL ON SIGNING FOREIGN YOUNGSTERS

FA director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking has hit out at Liverpool for signing so many foreign youngsters.

He believes that Liverpool along with the other big clubs in the Premier League, are preventing the development of English youngsters that are trying to break through the ranks.

Brooking said: "75 per cent of players in the scholarship age groups at Liverpool now are from overseas. So if only 25 per cent of them are English then it's not helpful for us.

"With a lot more overseas youngsters coming into our academies then it is likely they will slowly filter down into the lower leagues when they leave their clubs.

"There is a danger then that we could see a Football League with a large number of foreign players who haven't quite been good enough for the Premier League.

"They could stop our English youngsters from developing and we could even see fans switching off from the game because there are not enough of their own local players coming through at their clubs.

"So I think that is something we really need to reverse the trend on if we are going to improve our English kids in the long term."

LIVERPOOL SWOOP FOR YOUNG STRIKER

Liverpool have been tipped to sign teenage French striker David Ngog from Paris St. Germain for £1.5million.

PSG boss Paul Le Guen made the 19-year-old available after the youngster refused to sign a new contract.

Liverpool's French scout Laurent Viaud recommended Ngog - cousin of Jean Alain Boumsong - to the boss and it's claimed we're now making moves to sign him.

BENITEZ CONFIDENT OF SIGNING KEANE

Rafael Benitez remains confident of reaching a successful conclusion in his attempt to complete the £20 million signing of Robbie Keane, the Tottenham Hotspur forward, despite last week's angry attack on the Liverpool manager by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

Benitez and Liverpool believe Levy's decision to report the club to the Premier League will come to nothing and that a deal will be struck that will permit Keane to join Benitez's squad within the next week.

The manager is also hopeful of completing the £18 million transfer of Gareth Barry from a reluctant Aston Villa and with Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso due to report back on Friday for the first time since helping Spain to Euro 2008 success, Benitez's pre-season preparations will begin to gather momentum.

The latest stage of those - Saturday's 1-1 with Polish side Wisla Krakow in Switzerland - was overshadowed by the return of captain Steven Gerrard to England for treatment on a groin problem that will keep the midfielder sidelined for around 10 days.

The Daily Telegraph