Rafael Benítez has claimed the Premier League's new quota on home-grown players is being introduced too quickly and fails to address the fundamental problem of a lack of quality in the British game.

The Liverpool manager has long called for an overhaul of the academy system in England, including a proposal for leading Premier League reserve teams to compete in League Two, and will be deeply affected by the requirement for eight home-grown players in a 25-man league squad next season. Liverpool have one of the highest proportions of foreign talent in the country and only met the Champions League criteria of eight home-grown players in a 28-man squad this season by including Stephen Darby, Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing, Nathan Eccleston and David Amoo on their list. Not one has ever appeared in the Premier League for Liverpool.

Benítez, who takes charge of his 300th game as Liverpool manager against Debrecen in the Champions League tonight, accepts the Premier League has been under pressure to introduce a quota system but fears its regulation addresses only quantity, not quality.

"Maybe it has been brought in too soon," said the Liverpool manager. "In the Champions League we had two or three years to increase home-grown players. The problem in England is that there is a big gap between the academies and the first team. The reserve league is not filling this gap. It may now be difficult to maintain quality, but we will continue to do our best. The number of players is not the point, the quality is the point.