Youngsters make the Crewe cut

Modest Crewe Alexandra FC have been one of England's greatest success stories over the past 25 years in producing and developing young talent. The UEFA Training Ground paid them a visit to investigate their methods. To watch the video, click HERE.

Illustrious company
The Cheshire club lies within 50 kilometres of Liverpool and Manchester but, despite a population less than one seventh of those cities and living on the doorstep of world-famous clubs like Manchester United FC, Liverpool FC, Everton FC and Manchester City FC, Crewe can stand toe-to-toe with their local rivals when it comes to nurturing players from a young age and turning them into footballers.

Roll of honour
Among the names that have risen through the ranks at Gresty Road are England internationals Dean Ashton, David Platt, Geoff Thomas and Danny Murphy – a UEFA Cup winner with Liverpool in 2001 – while former Northern Ireland linchpin Neil Lennon and Wales stalwart Robbie Savage also honed their abilities at Crewe.

Gradi influence
All owe a huge debt of gratitude to former manager and current director of football Dario Gradi, who oversaw their development during a 25-year reign at the club. Gradi and another of his prodigies, ex-England and Liverpool defender Rob Jones, both speak exclusively to the UEFA Training Ground in this latest video.

Star players
The UEFA Training Ground hosts more than 170 videos and features exclusive masterclass sessions from big-name players such as Kaká, Andrea Pirlo, Robinho, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Deco – arguably among the greatest array of football talent assembled for a learning-based website. Europe's top referees offer guides to rules, regulations and much more while coaches Roy Hodgson and Lars Lagerbäck have also been recruited to help inform and educate players and coaches of all ages and abilities – all as part of the most comprehensive guide to skills and tactics on the internet.