MUST LISTEN: Ray Wilkins rants at lack of chances given to English youngsters, claims Tammy Abraham should be ahead of Michy Batshuayi at Chelsea

Ray Wilkins has hit out at the unwillingness of Premier League clubs to give more opportunities to young English players.

In a passionate rant on talkSPORT, the former Chelsea, Manchester United and England star said he was amazed by the fact so many top-flight managers refuse to put their faith in homegrown talent.

Wilkins singled out one of his old clubs, Chelsea, for criticism, questioning why they spent £33million on 23-year-old Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi when they have 19-year-old England youth ace Tammy Abraham on their books.

Abraham, one of 37 Blues youngsters currently out on loan, has been outstanding for Bristol City since making the temporary switch to Ashton Gate in the summer and is one of the Championship’s leading scorers with 18 goals in 31 appearances.

"We have got to start sticking these young men in," said Wilkins, a former captain, assistant and caretaker manager at Stamford Bridge.

"Look at that young man that played the other night up front for Monaco, [Kylian] Mbappe - 18 years of age and he ran Manchester City stupid. He only does that because he is given an opportunity to play at the highest level.

"We are stifling these young men by saying they are not ready. You never know when these young men are ready unless we give these guys a chance.

"We buy someone in at 20 years of age at £25million quid when we have already got them our doorstep that know what football is all about. But we send them out on loan.

"You bring these guys in, you develop them from 12, 13 years of age, and they don’t get a chance to play football. It baffles the life out of me.

"I feel very sorry for these young men because we bring in a lot of foreign players and say, 'oh, we will give him a year to settle down'. Why not stick your young man in, who could be better than him?

"I look at Chelsea, my club, they spent £33m on Michy Batshuayi at 22 years of age and I look at Tammy Abraham, who is playing for Bristol City. They are third from bottom in the Championship and he has scored 20 goals this season.

"You are not going to tell me Batshuayi would have scored 20 goals in the Championship. Chelsea would have been better off sticking Abraham on the bench and playing him ahead of Batshuayi."

Listen to Ray Wilkins' passionate rant in full above