Tottenham Hotspur boss Redknapp looks ahead to Aston Villa game
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp fears it will be impossible for teams to copy Aston Villa's policy of using homegrown players due to a shortage of British talent.
Spurs, who travel to Villa Park on Sunday, did invest in promising English youngsters during Martin Jol's era as boss but that strategy has been shelved.
Redknapp still has a strong homegrown influence in his squad - with the likes of Aaron Lennon, Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Jermain Defoe - but is unsure where the next crop is coming from.
"If I could find good, young English players, I would, but it is very, very difficult," he said.
"You can go out and make a point of buying English players, but if they're not good enough, it's a waste of time. I do think there is a dearth of top young English players. "
We're certainly not over-loaded. I think the group of players we have in the national team at the moment are the best we have had for a long time. But I fear that they are also the best we will have for some years to come."
Midfielder Jamie O'Hara feels Villa have shown the way this season by challenging the traditional heavyweights for a Champions League place, although they cannot claim to be a top-four side just yet.
"Villa had a great start, they pushed on really early and I think they've maintained that," he told the Islington Journal.
