SFA youth guru Mark Wotte has told Scotland’s young players they should rack up at least 100 games north of the border before they even think about making a move to England The governing body’s Performance Director was hired to overhaul Scotland’s youth development system and rear a new generation of players as part of a long-term attempt to strengthen the national team.
But the Dutch coaching expert believes too many youngsters are opting to move south too early.
Former Southampton boss Wotte drew the comparison between Celtic’s James Forrest – who has remained at Parkhead in spite of interest from England – and former Aberdeen youngster Ryan Fraser.
The 18-year-old quit the Dons in January having played in just 21 top-team games – eight of those as a sub – and headed south to Bournemouth but has so far mustered just six run outs from the bench for the new SkyBet Championship side.
Speaking as he welcomed the new intake of S1 pupils attending the SFA’s seven Regional Performance Schools, Wotte said: “There is a lot of talent in Scotland.
“The games here are now full of young players.
“Celtic were able to hold on to Forrest because their financial situation is better.
“Aberdeen were in another place and maybe Ryan Fraser wanted to go down south to improve himself.
“For me, he could have stayed and played 100 games for Aberdeen. It would have pleased me as much as him going down south.
“I have always said to the boys: ‘Stay in Scotland, play 100 games before you move down south because then you go with more credibility, you are more mature and Scotland is a good place to develop your skills’.
“The guys will get a lot of opportunities to play first-team football up here. So why take a risk by going down south and ending up being on the bench?”
