Sunday 2 October 2016 15:20, UK
Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson only made the Euro 2016 squad because of their reputation, according to former England international Kieron Dyer.
The Arsenal loanee and Liverpool captain were hampered by injuries last season but still made the plane to France for the ill-fated tournament.
Speaking on Goals on Sunday on Sky Sports 1, Dyer, who was handed his England debut in 1999 by Kevin Keegan and went on to make 33 appearances for his country, said players like Leicester's Danny Drinkwater and West Ham's Mark Noble were the in-form players.
He said England needed a manager brave enough to pick players on merit and not their name.
"I think the problem with England, even when I was playing and still today, is it’s picked on reputation and not on form and it’s got to be a brave manager who breaks that mould," Dyer said.
"You look at [Danny] Drinkwater and [Mark] Noble and everyone was saying they were the most in form midfielders at the end of last season but didn’t make the [Euro 2016] squad.
"Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson who didn’t play any football made the squad because it is picked on reputation. It is a tough one for a manager because if you are a Jack Wilshere or a Jordan Henderson playing to the best of your ability they’re probably better than Drinkwater and Mark Noble."
Dyer broke into the Ipswich first team aged 17 and made 90 appearances for the club before moving to Newcastle United. He also played for West Ham, Ipswich, Queens Park Rangers and Middlesbrough during an injury-ravaged career.
He said his early introduction to international football helped him develop and it was a shame that England didn't blood more youngsters.
"The Rios, the Rooneys, the Gerrards, they got thrown in at a young age and look at the careers they’ve had," he added.
"When you’re qualifying for a World Cup can you take that chance? Jesse Lingard is playing for Man United and playing against the best teams in the Premier League who are probably better than some of the teams in our group for our country. So I don’t think that is much of a gamble.
