Former Premier League striker reveals  why he wouldn’t send his son to a ‘big six’ academy

A member of the PL 100 Club does not think a top team is the best environment for a youngster to thrive.

Darren Bent came through they youth system at Ipswich before going on to make over 100 appearances for the club.

He went on to play for a host of Premier League clubs, netting 106 goals in total in the top flight.

The Englishman’s young son Milan, 10,  is now on the books at Coventry and that’s exactly the kind of club he wants him be starting out his career with.  

He told talkSPORT Drive: ‘I’d say no to [sending my son] to any of the top teams.

‘When you’re in the academy and you’re a youth player, the objective at any club is to get to the first team, but the pathway has got to be clear, there’s got to be an opportunity to get there.

‘Chelsea have done it reasonably well over the years with Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount and Reece James, but you have to be that special to get to the first team.’

He added: ‘When I was in the youth team, Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham had all the best players but at West Ham, a lot of them seemed to find their way to the first team. 

Bent began his career with Ipswich and player for a number of Premier League teams 

‘There’s so many talented kids that you’ll never have heard of because they’ve been at these academies and they are shipped out because they are deemed not good enough.’ 

‘No,’ he replied when asked if he would have had as much success starting out at a big club. ‘I was in the perfect situation for me. I could see a route to the first team.

‘When I got to Ipswich, they gave me a magazine brochure and on the front of it was Kieran Dyer, Richard Wright, James Scowcroft and Titus Bramble.

‘All four of them had come through the academy and got to the first team and got to a decent level. So it was almost like ‘okay, there is an opportunity here’.

‘Look at Phil Foden. Look how special he’s had to be to get an opportunity. It’s so difficult, so I think for Milan and other kids that think the coaching’s better at bigger clubs and it may well be, but for me he’s in the perfect environment.’