Midfielder explains that the top flight is hard to crack.
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Blackpool winger Tom Ince has said that the steady influx of foreign stars is alienating the country’s younger talent by pushing them out to the margins of the game, the Daily Mail reports.
The 21-year-old opted to stay with the Championship side this summer despite heavy interest from elsewhere and he knows how tough it can be to break into a top flight side more than most, having walked away from Liverpool in his teens in order to learn his trade in a lower division.
He admitted that he would most likely still be in the reserves is he had stayed at Anfield, but his decision to drop to the Championship has proved fruitful with 8 goals and 14 assists last season and two goals in two appearances so far this campaign.
He was tipped to leave Bloomfield Road this summer, but he decided to stay put as he admits the constant stream of talent from overseas has left him anxious for his career.
“It is hard because in the Premier League, there are a lot of foreign players,” Ince told Sportsmail.
“If you look at a lot of clubs in the Premier League, particularly the top five, there are a lot of foreign players. It makes it very hard for young English players to break through.
“You can see with the likes of Tom Carroll going to QPR on loan from Tottenham. Andros Townsend and other good players like Danny Rose had to go out on loan from Tottenham so there are a lot of players in the Premier League who are having to take a step back.
“A lot of people make rash decisions, based on getting into the Premier League too quick. You have to earn the right to be somewhere.
“Wherever you go, you are not guaranteed to play football. There are a lot of English players out there now at big clubs who aren’t playing football.
“I am happy to be playing in the Championship – people underestimate how good this league is. I will know when the time is right to go into the Premier League. When I do, I don’t want to be loaned out or be in and out of the team. I have to make sure that I am ready.
Rumour has it that Spurs made an 11th hour offer for the England under-21 international, but he felt that the move would do him more harm than good.
“I didn’t feel that, right now, I wanted to move to Tottenham or Everton. It is flattering to have that interest in me but it is about playing for Blackpool and enjoying my football.”
He also rejected a move to Cardiff earlier this summer – placing the needs of his young family first.
‘I went down to Cardiff to speak to Malky Mackay and what a guy he is,’ Ince explains.
“They are a very strong team, they got a fantastic result against Manchester City and it wasn’t to do with any fears that Cardiff might struggle.
“I’m based up in the North-West, I’ve just had a little girl myself so I felt the timing wasn’t right to move my family down there and make that sacrifice.”