SUNDERLAND boss Steve Bruce has bemoaned the lack of home-grown talent breaking through into the “monster” the Barclays Premier League has become.

As the inquest over England’s disastrous World Cup campaign gets into full swing and questions are asked about where the next generation of international stars will come from, Bruce is not optimistic for the future.

He was able to blood teenager midfielder Jordan Henderson last season, and has high hopes for Martyn Waghorn and Jack Colback, who thrived on loan at Championship Leicester and Ipswich respectively.

However, he knows that the Premier League presents an entirely different challenge, and he is concerned about the lack of talent emerging from the ranks around the country.

Bruce said: “Waghorn and Colback, this is a big year for them. They will definitely make a living in the game, they have proved that in the Championship. But as we know, the Premier League is a hugely different ball game, and that’s where the problem is.

“We have created a monster with this League. It’s fantastic, but to actually bring people through, it has been difficult.

“We are a victim of our own success. Me, for example, as a manager, I am scouring South America or Europe or whatever because we need them today to go and play.

“I would love to go and sign a 20-year-old from Bury or Rochdale or anywhere.

“But unfortunately, we are not producing them and there have to be big questions asked of why, in our society, we are not producing them when we have got something like 42, 43 Academies in this country from eight to 16.”