Trevor Brooking has expressed his frustration at the low number of English footballers playing in the Premier League.
The FA's director of football development, who is one of four board members in charge of choosing Fabio Capello's replacement, believes that an increase in home-grown talent is vital if England are to challenge for international titles.
Brooking said: "People say more young home-grown players are now making their mark in the Premier League but unfortunately it is a bit misleading because it is still the 35% figure for starting XI's.
"If you compare us with Spain, where nearly 80% of the starting XI's in La Liga are Spanish players, you can see the Spanish national coach has twice as many players to choose from.
"We need to get that 35% figure up to 45%, 55%, and over 60% to give us more of a competitive chance in terms of the depth of choice."
Earlier this month, Brooking vowed that the FA would take their time over selecting a new manager.
Robert Summerscales
