Ferguson said: “The Academy system is certainly very restrictive.
“It is difficult with a parochial system like this and having to produce from your local area.
“Players of quality are needed year on year for Manchester United or any other major club.
“Yet you are restricted by the Academy rules to just looking within an hour-and-a-half of your club to find these young players.
“That is why you have to go abroad to find players and bring them over to stay with you. You are not able to do that within England.
“We are still capable of producing players through our academy and we are proud of this.
“But a lot have had to be brought in from abroad, people like Gerard Pique and Giuseppe Rossi.”
