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Luca Senicanin spent four years at AC Milan's Academy and a year at cross-town rivals Inter before his father, Alexander, decided he would be better off at Sheffield United.
Senicanin senior knows his football, working as an agent for players including Italy internationals Andrea Pirlo and Luca Toni, and was impressed by the facilities and the quality of coaching at the South Yorkshire club.
Foreign body: Luca Senicanin moved to United’s Academy from Italy
"I played for the best Academies in Italy and they are not as good as this," said 17-year-old Senicanin who joined the Blades last year.
"Everything is better — the coaching, the buildings, the pitches."
The FA's director of football development, Sir Trevor Brooking, issued a stark warning this week that the England team was under threat from foreign imports, not only in the Premier League but also in the Academies.
Senicanin is one of three foreign youngsters at Sheffield United's Academy — the others are French centre half Maxime Chanot and South Korean goalkeeper Kang Ho Lee, who is still at school but plays for the Under 18s team.
Academy manager Ron Reid said: "I don't think the influence of a few foreign players is a bad thing. If they are good enough, they will bring a different culture and that's good for our lads.
"The danger is if you bring them in at the expense of local lads and we would never do that. We only take them in addition to our English intake.
"Some clubs want to fill their Academies with foreign players but we have three foreign boys who all came to us, asking for trials.
"I would dispute that our local kids are any less technical than the foreigners. It's a stick to beat us with that doesn't really apply. "We had Frenchmen David Sommeil and Christian Nade in our reserve team last season and they said the technique of our boys was as good, if not better, than the French boys."
Senicanin senior knows his football, working as an agent for players including Italy internationals Andrea Pirlo and Luca Toni, and was impressed by the facilities and the quality of coaching at the South Yorkshire club.
Foreign body: Luca Senicanin moved to United’s Academy from Italy
"I played for the best Academies in Italy and they are not as good as this," said 17-year-old Senicanin who joined the Blades last year.
"Everything is better — the coaching, the buildings, the pitches."
The FA's director of football development, Sir Trevor Brooking, issued a stark warning this week that the England team was under threat from foreign imports, not only in the Premier League but also in the Academies.
Senicanin is one of three foreign youngsters at Sheffield United's Academy — the others are French centre half Maxime Chanot and South Korean goalkeeper Kang Ho Lee, who is still at school but plays for the Under 18s team.
Academy manager Ron Reid said: "I don't think the influence of a few foreign players is a bad thing. If they are good enough, they will bring a different culture and that's good for our lads.
"The danger is if you bring them in at the expense of local lads and we would never do that. We only take them in addition to our English intake.
"Some clubs want to fill their Academies with foreign players but we have three foreign boys who all came to us, asking for trials.
"I would dispute that our local kids are any less technical than the foreigners. It's a stick to beat us with that doesn't really apply. "We had Frenchmen David Sommeil and Christian Nade in our reserve team last season and they said the technique of our boys was as good, if not better, than the French boys."
