The Sunderland midfielder believes that England do not place enough emphasis on technique from a young age and this had hindered the side’s progress.
“We (Holland) are a very small country with nowhere near as many people playing football as in England, but there is a certain emphasis about the way we train,” the former Liverpool and Barcelona man said in the Daily Express.
“We produce so many good footballers and there are so many reasons why. The youth set-up in Holland is very complete, very professional and they start players off at a very young age.
“It also comes down to a certain mentality. What is also important is that, when we choose players at a young age, we look very closely at their technique.
“When I was really young, I played against a German regional team and we struggled because they were too quick, too big and we couldn’t cope with them. That makes you play differently and concentrate on your technical skills.
“When it came to the time I was 18 or 19 and we had all grown, that was when we caught up. That is when you get the whole package and that is one of the reasons why Holland do very well at international level.”
