McManaman not only did not make it into the squad for England's campaign, injuries have revealed that he was not even in the first 25 names being considered for this summer's tournament.
Raul, amongst the best footballers in the world, admits he is bemused by McManaman's omission.
"McManaman is a fantastic player," said Raul. "His versatility makes him a very rare thing in football.
"He can play left, right or in the centre. A player like that would have been a great asset for England.
"I find it very strange that he is not going to the World Cup - but I'm not the manager of England.
"I'm sure he deserves to be in, because he's a great player and can offer many solutions for many different situations.
"You can have injuries, suspensions or other problems and a player like Macca would have been very important.
"If only we had a player like him for Spain₻
"The important thing is to have all types of players in your team. Players with talent and others who are better at working hard to help the team.
"I don't know if England will regret the decision not to take Macca.
"A player of his calibre who scores goals in European Cup finals should be allowed to show his talent on the highest stage.
"I'm not the manager of the England team, but if I was I would take him."
