Everton defender Seamus Coleman believes the current generation of academy footballers are 'too mollycoddled' for their own good.
A 2009 signing from Irish side Sligo Rovers, Coleman followed a vastly different path to the one taken by many Premier League starlets, also playing Gaelic football until the age of 18.
And the right-back, who also spent time on loan at Blackpool as part of his grounding, bemoaned the way modern football has changed since his arrival in the game.
'I came over as a 20-year-old, spoke when I was spoken to, cracked on, got my head down, tried to do the best I possibly could in training,' he told inews.
'Football was everything. Now I don't know if young players have got that same — it's not level of respect as they are respectful — they've just been mollycoddled a bit through the academy.
'It's all they've ever known: good food in the canteen, state-of-the-art gyms, their kit washed for them, their socks put in their kit, grown men having to do their laundry after games for them, they get all that done for them.'
Coleman also claimed that the current academy system gives scholars too much, too soon as they look to make it in the professional game - but does not expect anything to change in the future.
'I just feel like you've got a hell of a lot of footballers, hell of a lot of academy footballers who probably all believe they're going to make it, but the reality is they're not,' he added. 'It's just the way the game's gone. It's hard to stop it.'
After his stint on loan at Blackpool during the 2009-10 season, Coleman returned to Goodison Park to cement a place in the Everton line-up under first David Moyes and then Roberto Martinez.
He quickly developed a reputation as a talented and reliable defender, and was named as permanent Ireland captain in 2016.
Coleman made just 12 appearances last season after suffering an horrific leg break while on international duty, but started the new campaign at right-back for Everton in the 2-2 draw at Wolves on Saturday.
Everton face Southampton at Goodison Park this weekend in their first home game of the season.