Gareth Southgate has claimed that Celtic striker Scott Sinclair is not yet at the required level to be considered for a place in the current England squad.
The 28-year-old has made an impressive start to the season, claiming his 10th goal in his side's 3-0 Champions League victory over Anderlecht on Tuesday.
Despite this, Sinclair was not among the 26 players named this week by Southgate, ahead of the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Lithuania in early October.
"I had a conversation with [Celtic manager] Brendan Rodgers about him at the end of last season," the Three Lions manager told Sky Sports News.
"He's a good player but we have good quality in that area of the pitch and, at the moment, I think he is just below the level of what we have already got."
In all, Sinclair has netted 35 goals in 65 games for the Scottish Premiership champions since his move from Aston Villa last year.
Giuseppe Labellarte
