Jim Goodwin admits there is little that clubs like Dundee United can do to stop big English sides cherry picking top Scottish youngsters.
Last week Tannadice teenager Brandon Forbes joined English Championship side Norwich City on a two-year deal.
It is understood United received a fee of £300,000 for Forbes, a figure that could increase to £500,000 if certain clauses are met.
Another Terrors youngster, striker Rory MacLeod, was snapped up by Premier League side Southampton on an initial season-long loan deal, with an option to buy.
Other Scottish clubs, including Dundee, who sold 16-year-old defender Seb Lochhead to Wolves for a six-figure fee, saw promising kids head down south.
However, Goodwin admits that as things stand, those types of departures are now a fact of life for clubs in this country.
‘Scottish game makes it difficult’
The manager said: “Yes, most young players in Scotland want to get to England, that’s something we have to be realistic about.
“The opportunity to go and play with some of these bigger teams down in England is a big, big draw.
“Without getting too political on it, either, I do think the way the Scottish game is set up at the moment, it is very difficult for clubs like ourselves to hold on to the best young talent.
“Once they start becoming too good for the Under-18s, not every team in the country can afford to run a B team.
“That is the situation we are in at the moment where we have 18s and then a huge step to the first team.
“Whereas if you go down to England, these kids can play Under-18, the next three years at Under-21s and they have that significant period of time to continue their development.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury.
“That’s why I like the loan system up here and that would have been the next route for Brandon.”
Dundee United pathway
Goodwin admits he has spoken to the Scottish game’s ruling body about the exodus of youngsters.
And he insists there is still a pathway for kids at United and if they eventually do go down south it will only be if the price is right for all parties.
He added: “There is nobody who can point the finger at Dundee United because you just need to look at our first-team squad at the moment with the likes of Ross Graham playing regularly, Miller Thomson has done well and has an inclusion in the Under-21 squad, Kai Fotheringham had an unbelievable season for us last year.
“There are plenty of players we can point to just in my short time at the club who have been given the opportunity.
“So the pathway is still there but it is more and more of a challenge every time these bigger teams come calling because the players, more often than not, want it to happen.
“We don’t want to be underselling our young players, either – that’s something we need to be mindful of.
“We want to make sure we are getting what we believe the player is worth and then with these different contingencies that you can add into the deal, in the longer term it can be quite good.”
