Theo's move to Arsenal is a cautionary tale for all youngsters, says the man who discovered him

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"He had no concept of the fact that he'd get down there and several hundred England fans would swarm around him," says Jennings.

"Why had nobody briefed him and said, 'Look son, you're with England now and there are a few dos and don'ts'? Are we talking to our youngsters enough to help them understand? We do it well in the younger stages, but can we do it well in the first-team environment?"

It's a minor point, perhaps, but one that demonstrates how Jennings is looking at every aspect of a player's fledgling career in his role as the Premier League's youth development manager.

The interest in Walcott is understandable. Jennings was his mentor for four years at Southampton's Academy before the 16-year-old was catapulted into the limelight — and Sven Goran Eriksson's World Cup squad — by a £12million move to Arsenal.

Now, in the national role he assumed 18 months ago, the former schoolteacher is responsible for overseeing all the young players coming through. Which is why he takes issue with those who claim that England's failure is due to a lack of homegrown talent at clubs in the Barclays Premier League.

"I lament the way in which the talent that's available here isn't given the opportunity,' he says.

"Clubs have to place the faith in the youth developers to hand over the players. Our job is to train the best youngsters and deliver them to first-team football. If that group isn't getting the opportunity, it's very difficult for us to continue to justify our work."

Jennings held up Arsenal as a prime example of a club ready to give youth a chance, but felt Walcott should have stayed at Southampton longer, arguing Gareth Bale benefited from staying an extra season at St Mary's.

"Almost all Theo's learning has been in and around the first team and that's difficult for a 16-year-old. That 16 to 18 phase is critical to the long-term development of the player. If you're not working morning and afternoon, for four days a week, then where are you going to get the development time?" asks Jennings, who also cites Aston Villa, Manchester City and Middlesbrough as clubs reaping the benefits of giving their kids a chance.

"Surely the penny has got to start dropping that investment in youth will pay dividends. It's a challenge for me to try to encourage all the clubs to see it like that. Some of the clubs that are struggling now are victims of poor planning. But I do worry about the very high contracts that seem to be paid to young players which, in pure footballing terms, they do not always merit. They almost seem to me to be a disincentive for them to go on and achieve."

Jennings is not opposed to foreign signings, as long as they raise standards and do not block the path of an equally talented homegrown player. In fact, he would encourage British youngsters to develop their careers abroad so they can return with more to offer.

"Nobody has said that the introduction of Zola and Bergkamp was negative because everyone has learned a lot from them," he adds.

"I see it as a challenge for us to impro e and develop our standards. What I really hope is the clubs have a game plan when they are bringing in players from other countries. It can't just be about grabbing the player who is out of favour at club X in country Y because he might just help you get three points to stay up. That shorttermism is the long-term road to folly."

Jennings also disputed the view of such managers as Harry Redknapp and Dennis Wise that the talent pool is drying up because a generation of children are playing on computers instead of kicking a football in the park.

He was speaking at the Trafford Soccer Dome in Manchester, where 12 junior teams were playing an indoor tournament organised by the Premier League

"Should we ignore progress? Should we throw out the cameras, get rid of ProZone, not bother about the latest information about diet and nutrition? Of course not. So why do we imagine that we have to go back to jumpers for goalposts? What we do is to bring the quality of those experiences into the modern sector. The kids will adapt.

"I understand how disappointed the nation is with the underachievement of the national team. I went to the Croatia game at Wembley and what an awful night it was for everybody concerned.

"If it takes that kind of experience for us to realise that we need unity to move forward then maybe some good can actually come out of it."