But here's an alternative idea: If English players are struggling to get enough games with teams in England, then why don't more of them pack their bags and try their luck overseas, just as so many non-English players do?
The FA report noted that the Champions League group stage this season featured 47 Brazilian players, even though that is a European competition. That is just one indication of how readily players from other countries move overseas. Historically, the English as a people have been intrepid travelers. In the Amazon city of Manaus, where England played its first match of this World Cup, English engineers left behind a sewage system, among other things. But the list of English footballers who have made names for themselves abroad is a short one.
"It would be positive, I think, if they are not getting the chance to play in the Premier League with their club team, if they are able to find a good team abroad that would give them that experience, a chance to play regularly. Of course it would be very positive," Hodgson said after England played a drab 0-0 draw with Costa Rica on Tuesday to end its forgettable World Cup, yet another one.
Hodgson is a prime example of how foreign experience can enhance a career in football: he previously managed an array of foreign clubs and the Swiss national team. He gave a compelling reason why more English players don't follow his lead: money. In England, players might not develop as well as they might if they got more regular games with foreign clubs, but at least they're well paid.
"Quite a few of our young players will already be on salaries which maybe some of these foreign clubs might find hard to match, because there is literally no comparison," Hodgson said. "Our salaries are so much higher."
