Zola's England message

Gianfranco Zola has delivered his verdict on the England's catastrophic failure to qualify for next summer's European Championship finals.

And the Italian maestro believes the players need to relax more to produce their best.

Zola said: "Maybe the players take too many responsibilities on the pitch and maybe they should enjoy the game a bit more.

"You need to take it as a game. You will only play well if you have freedom of the mind. That comes from when you are fearless, when you don't fear responsibility.

"All the things around football - the business, the money and so forth - they are all fake. Fotball is to be enjoyed. If you get this right, you have the chance to be successful."

Zola enjoyed iconic status during his playing days with Chelsea. A breathtaking entertainer, his message that players must enjoy their work has been passed on to the Italy Under-21 team he now coaches.

Zola is in England to play in today's PFA Centenary game at the City of Manchester Stadium. The players' union is hoping to raise £1million towards a new hospital for sick children.

And the man who was once an import revealed: "I am not against foreign players. In fact, I owe one of them a lot.

"When I was at Napoli I had the chance to play with Diego Maradona. It was one of the luckiest things that happened to me because I had the opportunity to learn from the best player in the world.

"But the number of foreign players has to be contained otherwise there is no chance for the young, local players to come through." PFA supremo Gordon Taylor agrees totally.

Taylor said: "The time may come when it won't be a matter of whether can win the World Cup or European Championship. It will be whether we can merely qualify.

"And if the national team continues to suffer, I am convinced that could have a knock-on effect at club level.

"What we would like is a minimum - regardless of nationality - of four players who have come through the youth system at the club. It is not xenophobia because their nationality is not an issue.

"But unless something is done by the FAto encourage this then the game, in the long term, will suffer - as will the national team.

"The number of players available to the England manager is shrinking.

There is no getting away from that and unless something is done, it will not get better.

"The wastage among young players is staggering. At the age of 16, some five out of six of young players are being lost to the game.

"The money that is in English football at the moment may not always be there and when the clubs see there is no option but to turn to their own, they may find there is no one to turn to."

Today's events start at 12.30 with a match between Northern soap opera stars followed by the clash between the England Legends XI and the rest of the World XI. Entrance is £10 for adults and £5 for children. Children accompanied by an adult will be admitted free.