Henry Winter in the Telegraph:
'Always on the attack as a winger for Manchester United and England, Gordon Hill has not changed his forthright approach now that he is coaching. "Once you could name five or six English players who were world class," reflects Hill, capped six times in the maverick-filled Seventies. He believes that only three of the current side measure up to that level. Now 53, and owning and coaching a club in Dallas called United - "I wasn't going to call it City" - Hill grew up a Chelsea fan, and then became an entertainer, his left foot conjuring magic, particularly for Manchester United.
'Hill believes technical standards are slipping. "Just look at the touch of a young English player and contrast that with a foreigner's. Ronaldo, who's a great player, Nani and Anderson all came from Portuguese clubs.
'"Our first touch is not good enough and quick enough. We are looking for athletes first, footballers second. Would Peter Crouch have got in an England team in the Seventies? No chance. Look at the Spanish and Italian players - they are not 6ft 6in, they can play. Arsenal cut you to pieces because they have the players who have been taught to do that. I watched Arsenal against Derby and it was lovely football but it is not English. Arsenal got Fabregas from Barcelona. And the great keepers are all foreign now. In the Seventies, Joe Corrigan couldn't get an England game because he had two greats like Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence in front of him."'