Full English: How Manchester United, West Ham and Everton could manage without their foreign stars

With increasing calls for limits on overseas players in match-day squads hampered by employment laws and unwilling managers, I thought I would take things a step further and consider how some teams in the Premier League would fare having to field a completely English XI.

Those with a more extensive knowledge of their clubs’ reserves may be able to argue their case, but here are three rare examples of clubs that could field a reasonably strong side under these rules, give or take a bit of formation jiggery pokery:

Manchester United could field a back five of  Ben Foster in goal, with Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand and Danny Simpson at left-back. Their midfield would contain Chris Eagles, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes - and Frazier Campbell could be recalled from Hull to partner Wayne Rooney up front. It’s certainly not full-strength, but still an experienced side.

West Ham can line up with a side barely damaged by the removal of foreign players. Rob Green plays behind Calum Davenport, Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Upson with Kieron Dyer and Matthew Etherington as wing-backs. Scott Parker, Mark Noble and Lee Bowyer fill the midfield with Dean Ashton and Carlton Cole up front. A bench of Hayden Mullins, Bobby Zamora, Freddie Sears, James Tomkins and James Walker gives them more depth than most.

Finally, Everton can field a side of John Ruddy, Tony Hibbert, Anthony Gardner, Joleon Lescott, Leighton Baines, Dan Gosling, Phil Neville, Phil Jagielka, Leon Osman, Andy Johnson, and James Vaughan. Seven defenders perhaps, but Gosling, Neville and Jagielka can all play midfield.

The Everton side may be scraping the barrel slightly, but the fact that it’s the third-best side I can come up with says something about the current situation. Aston Villa also come close, but would have to field five strikers on my reckoning with their current squad. Tottenham weakened their chances in the All-English League by offloading Gardner, Wayne Routledge and Jermain Defoe in January.

So whose side is strongest? Or can anyone suggest a better Premier League team? Perhaps a youthful Manchester City line-up, or a Newcastle midfield of Alan Smith, James Milner, Joey Barton and Nicky Butt? Or maybe a patchwork Chelsea side with Joe Cole up front?

All good fun of course, but what strikes me is how a number of Premier League  sides would struggle to even field an English XI based on current squads, and I would imagine there are a number of Championship sides that would be better equipped for this challenge than the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool.

Either way, this concept is a reminder of how important foreign players currently are and how there would be plenty of boots to fill should any limits ever come into place.