The former Belgian youth coach - who helped develop stars like Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany - exited the FFA shortly after the Socceroos' disappointing World Cup.

While strong in other areas, the campaign was undermined by a lack of Australian goalscorers coming through the system.

The frontline attack of the Socceroos in Russia had scored just 28 international goals from 201 matches between them and critics have questioned the pathway for local strikers who are frequently ignored in the A-League.

Marquee stars have tended to hog the key positions while NPL strikers have struggled to make the switch from semi-pro to the demands of the A-League in the face of foreign imports.

Meanwhile the next generation of Australian stars have largely disappointed on the international stage of youth tournaments.

Abrams was appointed in 2014 but last year compared the NPL to the Belgian fourth division, adding: "I was not happy with the quality I saw."

After Abrams was axed, the FFA launched an immediate hunt for a new technical director and put together a high-powered panel to identify the right person.

National coaches Graham Arnold and Alen Stajcic were joined by ex-international stars Rae Downer and Tony Vidmar along with PFA chief John Didulica to pinpoint the best person for the job.

The panel was supposed to have appointed a new TD in November but the recent FFA boardroom coup overtook everything and pushed back a final date for the appointment.

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But FFA's head of youth development Emma Highwood has told the FTBL Podcast Abrams' shortcomings would need to be addressed by whoever comes in to replace him.

"If we are really serious about developing better players all levels, on the men's and the women's pathway, we have to have a stronger focus on the player and what's in the players' needs and player development," she said.

"But I would say the FFA needs to take the lead on that and we need a strong leader in that space.