"There is not the top-notch British quality that there was," Ferdinand said. "It is perhaps to do with the money that's been coming into the game. If you are a coach, you can either wait for a young player to develop or you can go and spend £5-10 million on a young foreigner who may be the finished article. The rewards are so big that patience isn't there like it used to be.
"When I was at West Ham, Harry Redknapp could give you six months or even a year to develop, but it's harder to do that now. They are having to wait longer, rather than being given their chance at 17.
"Players are still coming through. Giuseppe Rossi has gone from here to Villarreal. The kids here might not make it at United, but they will get the opportunity somewhere else.
"If you look through the lists, you'll see that over the past few years United have churned out a lot of players who are with other clubs. There are 10 to 15 kids here who might not make their career at United, but will do somewhere else."