By

Adam Crafton




PUBLISHED:


22:19, 4 September 2013




|



UPDATED:


09:37, 5 September 2013


Thomas Ince has ominously warned that young English players feel ever more marginalised in an increasingly cosmopolitan Barclays Premier League.


Blackpool winger Ince knows the grim realities of the imagined promised land better than most.


He walked out on Liverpool at the age of nineteen, eager to escape the ‘silver spoon’ of the academy and learn his trade in the lower divisions


VIDEO Scroll down to watch 30second Freestyle: Tom Ince


Fears: Ince is worried about the state of the English game

Fears: Ince is worried about the state of the English game after a busy summer of transfers



He now admits that he ‘would probably still be in the reserves’ should he have remained at Anfield.


Instead, he has flourished, first under Ian Holloway and currently under dad Paul. Ince is too good for the Championship — 18 goals and 14 assists last season and two goals in two appearances this campaign are proof of that.


Yet he remains anxious of a move to the Premier League, concerned that his development will be hindered at the expense of overseas players.


‘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.


Hanging aroudn: Ince (right) spent his youth career at Liverpool, but is convinced he'd still be in the reserves if he'd stayed at Anfield

Hanging aroudn: Ince (right) spent his youth career at Liverpool, but is convinced he’d still be in the reserves if he’d stayed at Anfield



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.







Continental: Liverpool signed Portugese defender Tiago Ilori, while Arsenal swooped for Mesut Ozil (below)

Continental: Liverpool signed defender Tiago Ilori, while Arsenal swooped for Mesut Ozil (below)



Ozil

Ince was linked with a last-gasp move to the top-flight, with widespread speculation that Tottenham Hotspur made an approach for the England under-21 international on Sunday afternoon.


‘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.’


Looking abroad: Spurs (above) made seven foreign signings, while Manchester City (below) made five

Looking abroad: Spurs (above) made seven foreign signings, while Manchester City (below) made five


Manchester City





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    Thomas Ince is a Warrior Football player. To learn more visit www.warriorfootball.com






















The comments below have not been moderated.






The comments on this page are utterly ridiculous. I agree with everything “Tom Ince” says about the stunting nature of the Premier league environment. Yet, almost all the comments are having a go at him for telling the truth. The fact he is prepared to stay with Blackpool during a crucial time in his development and actually play games means he will progress his game and become a better all round player. The ignorance of the armchair fans and their uniformed remarks is laughable.



onemugmorris

,


Liverpool, United Kingdom,

06/9/2013 13:37


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If he were that good he’d have been signed for big money on a big contract by most prem teams, but he isn’t.



reni’s floor tom

,


Surrey,

06/9/2013 04:54


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You’d still be in Liverpool Reserves you say? Well Sterling, Ibe, Wisdon, Flanagan and other have all been given a chance by Rodgers, so you can’t make the assumption you wouldn’t have. Fair play, you have gone to the Championship to make a name for yourself and I hope a big club comes in for you.



TMc589

,


Wellington, New Zealand,

06/9/2013 03:35


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Ok Paul, maybe you should stop whinging and stay in the championship if the prem is to difficult!



Bozmoz

,


Cardiff, United Kingdom,

05/9/2013 23:51


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Too much money and hype too soon is the problem.



Mark

,


Watford, United Kingdom,

05/9/2013 19:54


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Lets not forget that in this economic climate players can still make big money in the BPL while other european leagues are strugglling to make ends meet



henrym

,


ilford,

05/9/2013 17:37


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We have good young players but youing players from abroad are more polished and come at a cheaper price……There is no doubt that Ince should be in the BPL



henrym

,


ilford,

05/9/2013 17:35


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OK Tom, go and play abroad and see how much you are really worth.



archiarmst

,


sheffield, United Kingdom,

05/9/2013 16:02


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Typical…. mentally weak!



Truth Hurts

,


London,

05/9/2013 15:46


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21 year old English players have wives and kids which they don’t want to even move a 4 hour drive away from. Other nationalities fly half way round the world to come to Europe and play in great leagues like the Portuguese and Dutch leagues. Even the Scottish league gives players the opportunity to play great football and even play in European cups to prove themselves.



Peasant-from-Giesing

,


München, Germany,

05/9/2013 15:34


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