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London - England's Professional Footballers' Association is pushing to introduce a quota on home-grown players in the country's top leagues.
The PFA is seeking political backing for its initiative which would require teams in the top four divisions from the Premier League down to field a minimum of four home-grown players in their starting teams.
Following England's first round exit from this year's World Cup in Brazil - where Roy Hodgson's men failed to win a single match - questions were again raised as to whether the high number of foreign players in the lucrative Premier League was damaging the chances of the national side.
England haven't won a major trophy since lifting the World Cup on home soil back in 1966 and there are those who believe radical action is required if their fortunes are to be reversed.
Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the PFA, met Monday with John Cruddas, who is leading the main British opposition Labour Party's policy review, to press the case for quotas.
Taylor is also due to hold talks with the British Government on the issue, although any plan for each team's starting XI to feature four home grown players -- with at least one trained by the club -- would need the approval of England's governing Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League.
Taylor said FA chairman Greg Dyke's move to reduce the number of non-European Union players in English football was welcome but "a drop in the ocean".
The PFA chief added: "The key is starting on the field of play and to have at least four home-grown players of which one should be club-grown.
"With so much money going into youth development we need to see some return from that," Taylor explained.
"Look at Sunday, there were only four English players in the Manchester City v Chelsea teams and the best player on the pitch was one of them, James Milner.
"Unless we tweak the system with regards to quotas I don't see how that's going to improve.
"Earlier this month I saw England Under-19s draw with the German Under-19s who were the European champions - we were the best team and I was so impressed but you wonder what opportunities they are going to get in senior football."
