Former Rangers youth coach Cameron Campbell has revealed his frustration at the lack of opportunity for youngsters in Scotland.
Now with RB Leipzig, Campbell moved to Germany at the turn of the year and has enjoyed his time with a club that puts developing talent to the very top of its priorities.
And while Lennon Miller at Motherwell and David Watson at Kilmarnock have been Scottish Premiership standouts this term, Campbell reckons there are others denied the chance to shine in his homeland.
He told the Daily Record: “It all comes down to needing two things. Talent and opportunity.
“What frustrates me is when everyone talks about the gap (between youth and first-team) like it’s unattainable. It’s the academy’s job to produce players who are good enough. But you then need a whole club to buy into creating opportunities. Those players need chances. When I was a youth coach at Rangers, I saw how much talent there is in Scotland.
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“Lennon Miller and David Watson are doing really well at Motherwell and Kilmarnock right now. But I would argue there are one or two at the top seven or eight clubs who – if given the opportunity – could probably do similar things.
“It frustrated me. These kids need a chance. We’d go to international tournaments with Rangers U17’s and beat PSG. So talent wise, player for player, we have enough to compete with them. But when they get to that age, they need a chance to play first-team football.
“Whether that’s at their club or through the loan system, opportunities must open up for them. One of the studies I’ve done at Leipzig is to look at the top 100 players in the world right now.
“Niney-seven per cent of them made their first team debut before the age of 20. When you look back at their journeys, most were involved in men’s football at some level from the age of 16. It’s no coincidence. It’s about creating opportunities.”
