Steve Holland has revealed Crewe's history of youth development was one of the reasons they were invited to a pre-season friendly in Bulgaria.Alex will face FC Maritsa in early July after the Bulgarian outfit were impressed with how well the League One outfit had nurtured young players throughout the years.

"We (Holland and the president of FC Maritsa) spoke about the two clubs and it is clear that he compares his club and what they want to achieve with Crewe Alexandra," Holland told the club's official website. "They want to produce their own young players and sell them onto bigger clubs."

West Ham striker Dean Ashton looks set to join David Platt, Rob Jones, Geoff Thomas and Danny Murphy in a list of former Alex players who have gone on to play for England when Fabio Capello's side face Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Crewe's plans to face Premier League new-boys Hull in a pre-season friendly are on hold after the club's promotion to the top flight. The Tigers are due to re-assess their plans in the near future.

More Football News from TEAMtalk