Futsal to produce an English Lionel Messi?

Just how far away are UK from producing their own Lionel Messi?

The prospect of a player in the shirt of the Three Lions, displaying the kind of skills and intelligence currently associated with arguably the world's most talented footballer is a mouth-watering one.

But is such a player merely a pipe dream or a real possibility?

For years, coaches at grassroots level have had to contend with poor facilities, uneven pitches and unpredictable weather, undoubtedly hindering efforts to improve the technical ability of the future generation of English footballers.

The Football Association has already recognised the need for an overhaul,pledging to invest £150m over the next three years to improve facilities.

Nevertheless, it is another step they are taking, which won't garner the kind of attention a multi-million pound cash injection has, that could ultimately prove as influential.

The latest edition of The Future Game the FA's technical guide for young player development - will include a recommendation for a sport which the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo grew up on - Futsal.

Futsal, a small-sided variant of football played between two teams of five players in an indoor arena, is something that has been played for decades in countries like Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Italy.

In those countries, Futsal is part of a development programme where children play the sport up until the ages of 10 or 11 before deciding whether to focus solely on football or stay with the small-sided variant.

Peter Sturgess is the FA's head of development for five- to 11-year-old players and head coach of the England men's Futsal team.

He told BBC Sport: "The FA is establishing Futsal as part of the footballing landscape in this country.