What started as a summer of hope has once again ended with England failing to impress at a major tournament, picking up one point and exiting the group stages of the World Cup with a kitten’s meow instead of a lion’s roar.

As always, the press and public’s reaction has been to call for the reduction of foreign players in the Premier League in order for young English talent to be given more playing time. But why not send our youngsters abroad?

No-one wants to stop the world’s best players from playing in England, the issue is with average players who fill up Premier League squads and stop the young English talent from playing first-team football.

Belgium, who are seen as the next big thing of international football, are able to field a starting 11 of players who all play outside of Belgium. 

Nothing is stopping the British players from jumping on a plane and trying their luck in another country. 

Chucks Aneke has been released by Arsenal after spending the last few years on loan at Crewe in League One. Instead of staying in England, he has decided to play for Belgian side Zulte who will compete in the Europa League next season and more players need to follow his example.

Yannick Bolaise, who has excelled at Crystal Palace over the past few years, spent time in Malta playing for Floriana early in his career.

There are cases of players who have moved abroad but they are few and far between. 

Thomas Ince, currently a free agent, turned down a move to Monaco in January in order to play for Crystal Palace, where he made five appearances, three from the bench.

This summer, he turned down another approach from the French club who will be in the Champions League next season, as well as rejecting Inter Milan, in the hope that a top Premier League club comes calling.

But that call may not come and he could end up on the bench of a club not in Europe. Were he to go abroad, he could learn a lot more training alongside players who were raised playing a different style of football to him. Players who were brought up learning to pass instead of “hoof it” long on a Sunday morning. 

And even if it doesn’t work out, he can always come back to England after a few months. 

You look at Josh McEachran of Chelsea. Handed his debut by Carlo Ancelotti in 2010, the Real Madrid manager said after a Champions League game: “He can play it short or long without a problem. He played with personality and I’m happy with his performance. He has to grow, he has to improve but he’s ready to play.”

Fast forward four years and McEachran has been out on loan at Swansea, Middlesbrough, Watford and Wigan. 

There was a time when he was being talked about in the same breath as Jack Wilshere as the future of England’s midfield. Now he may find himself struggling to find a place in the Blues reserves.

Instead of being shipped out on loan to a Championship club next season, why don’t Chelsea loan him out to a mid-table Spanish side? 

Labelled a “technically-gifted midfielder” on the club’s official website, he will surely benefit more in a side that pass the ball rather than on the bench for a side with a more direct style of play.

A move abroad offers players new experiences and the chance to possibly learn a new style of football which could improve them as footballers even if the move doesn’t work out.

Michael Owen struggled to settle in at Real Madrid but came back the better player (arguably) and despite hardly playing due to injury, the former Liverpool and Manchester United striker loved his time out in Spain.

Playing in another country will not hinder a player’s footballing ability but is likely to hinder their bank balance. 

With the vast riches Premier League clubs have, players can easily earn £50,000 a week sitting on the bench for Manchester City rather than play week-in week-out in Germany or Italy and earn four-times less.

Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair both had promising careers ahead of them until City came calling. Both players have barely featured at club level over the past few seasons and it seems England have once again lost out.

And with City announcing the signing of Fernando, who plays in the same position as Rodwell, the young Englishman has a choice to make. Does he want to continue warming the bench of the Dubai owned club or at 23, does he want to start fulfilling the potential that earned him a move to the Premier League champions?

There is nothing wrong with wanting to test yourself at the highest level, the opportunity may not present itself again and it is easy to sit here in hindsight and say that it was the wrong move.

But the player should have enough common sense to at least ask “how often will I play?” before moving, and unless the answer is every week is it really a wise move?

Luke Shaw, signed by United yesterday, asked those questions before leaving Southampton. Aware he may play second fiddle to Patrice Evra, Shaw was given assurances that he will be the first-choice left-back. 

This may transpire to be a lie but the 18-year-old was right to ask such a question at a time when playing week-in week-out is paramount for him to develop as a player.

As for Sinclair, despite being shipped out on loan in a bid to get regular first-team football again, his career has stalled and England have lost another player from an already shallow pool. 

Roy Hodgson has a very limited pool to pick from, knowing that he will have to pick players who are not regulars at club level. 

Not every player who goes abroad will be able to don the white of Real Madrid or the red and black stripes of AC Milan but a spell abroad could not only benefit themselves but the national set-up as a whole.