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By Henry Winter, chief football correspondent, The Telegraph, London

When Andre Merelle, the man who helped nurture Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry and William Gallas, was invited to address English coaches and managers, the guru from the French National Technical Centre at Clairefontaine offered some simple advice: "Whatever skill you make your young players do with the right foot, make them also do with the left. Make them two-footed."

As Fabio Capello will soon learn (although one imagines he already has an inkling), the most glaring technical deficiency holding back England internationals is an over-reliance on one foot. The right-footed David Bentley has worked on his left, but many of his compatriots still manoeuvre the ball awkwardly on to their stronger foot, often wasting the moment to hurt the opposition.

"At Clairefontaine they concentrate on all the basic movements and using both feet," said Dave Richardson, the chairman of the Professional Football Coaches Association who brought Merelle to last year's seminar at The Hawthorns. "Only a few clubs do that here."

Manchester United do. At their flair factory of an Academy at Carrington, United play 4 v 4 matches designed to nurture skills and responsibility-taking. Players must be good with either foot to survive.

Those schoolboys who attend Carrington, who come into contact with United's technical skills development coach, Rene Meulensteen, acquire a technical ability for life. "My eldest son Michael was asked by Liverpool, Everton and Manchester United to train at their Academies," recalled Paul Brookwell, a Lancashire barrister, yesterday. "He signed forms for United and played for them for two years, training four times a week.

"Michael trained under Meulensteen. Michael played the 4 v 4 system and was coached various tricks and skills. His skill on the ball is a testament to the system employed by United. His skills seem now to be ingrained. When watching school matches, I have seen him play for the year above on a full 11-a-side pitch at school to going to United in the evening to play 4 v 4!" Michael was eventually released "because of his lack of pace", according to his father, but "they arranged for him to be taken by Preston North End".

"'My second boy, Daniel, plays for his local team, Burscough, and is coached by two former local players and fathers of other team members. So I am witness to a wide range of coaching of children in the North-west. My youngest son has been coached by well-meaning men, who have taken their initial FA badge, and watched by keen parents. The emphasis on winning has been important. The contrast to the experience of Michael and the methods used could not be greater. Up to the age of 11 at United, it is all skill, skill, skill."

Backed by Sir Alex Ferguson and implemented by Les Kershaw and now Brian McClair, the technique-driven philosophy enjoyed by Michael Brookwell encouraged the FA to look at employing Meulensteen. "I saw Rene as a very good technical coach," added Richardson, who himself worked in youth development under Ron Saunders, Graham Taylor, Josef Venglos and Ron Atkinson at Aston Villa and Jock Wallace and Gordon Milne at Leicester City.

So Richardson enthused to Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's director of football development, about the Dutchman's sessions at Carrington. "I told Trevor to go up and have a look," said Richardson, the former director of youth at the Premier League.

The FA were impressed, and when they sought a "technician" to work with Brooking, Richardson phoned Meulensteen, who was toying with an offer from Brondby. "I rang Rene and said: 'Before you jump ship, I'll make the call to Trevor.' So I rang Trevor but nothing happened." Meulensteen went to Brondby but soon returned to Carrington.

"What United have done under Rene is not mind-boggling, it's common-sense, and the kids are good there technically," added Richardson. "They have good teachers. They have Eamon Mulvey and Tony Whelan working with the little ones, and they have been schooled by Rene. We have to encourage a group of people like that at each club.

"We should get ex-pros in. I hear Chris Waddle on the radio - these people have so much to offer. Gary Shaw, whom I know from Villa, could talk about movement. Steve Guppy, who had a trick, could talk about dropping a shoulder.

"I know Nigel Winterburn wants to put something back into the game. He could give some tips on defending. Mark Walters was a talented player - he had the tricks and movement - and is now one of Trevor Brooking's skills coaches. We should be using skills like his. Ajax want some of their Under-13s and Under-14s to come over here and experience playing our boys and their coach is Arnold Muhren."

Serial producers of young talent such as Muhren's Holland and Merelle's France argue that the most important coach at a club is the youth-team coach. But salaries are an issue here, particularly lower down the leagues. A youth-team coach at a League One or Two club would start on Ł25,000 to 30,000 a year. At a Championship club, it is Ł50,000 to Ł70,000. At the top end, an Academy Director will earn between Ł100,000 and Ł200,000. Even the most generous package equates to 10 days' work for a top England player. "We need to pay youth-team coaches better," observed Richardson.

"Kids are stimulated by good coaches -and there are good coaches in this country. Kids don't want to let down Tony Carr at West Ham, Steve Heighway when he was at Liverpool, Dave Parnaby at Middlesbrough or Dario Gradi at Crewe Alexandra. Good coaches like Parnaby and Carr play the game the right way. So do Manchester United."

Blending United's imagination with the enthusiasm of parents, Paul Brookwell sees a range of measures that would improve youth standards. "The FA need to harness the army of parents willing to coach five to 11-year-olds," said Brookwell. "They should direct the playing of 4 v 4 games as conducted at United until they are 11. This would encourage skill, increase the touches on the ball and remove the 'win at all costs for the team' mentality.

"The FA should be more forceful in the insistence of coaches to have their badges. The FA should prevent 8 v 8 matches until the children are 11 both at club level and at school. There is a great variety of opinion within the Academy system and the FA should be the body to unite their views."

In the debate over the way ahead for youth development, the FA, Premier League and Football League are locked in disagreement over who should sit on the Technical Support Group as advocated by the Lewis Report. Brooking wants more technical expertise, and Richardson heartily agrees.

"Coaches in Holland and France sit on their federations' meetings so they have that technical input," added the chairman of the Professional Football Coaches Association. "People like Dave Parnaby and Steve Heighway need to be sat round the table with the FA."

And quickly. The temptation for some Premier League clubs is to recruit from abroad. "There was an Under-16 game over in Holland before Christmas," said Richardson, "and there were more English than Dutch clubs there watching the Dutch kids."

Source: Telegrap[h.co.uk