Stuart Pearce has criticised Roy Hodgson for his decision to leave out Ashley Cole at the expense of Southampton youngster Luke Shaw, branding the selection "wasted".
The 18-year-old was chosen over Cole despite only making his international debut earlier this year, but Pearce believes that the choice was unnecessary if Shaw doesn't get any playing time.
He told The Independent: "Luke should have been playing in the Under-21 qualifier against Wales and then going on to the [Under-20] Toulon tournament.
"You'd be giving a young player tournament experience. If he comes back from Brazil having not featured, it's a wasted tournament for him. I would have taken Ashley Cole to fight out the left-back position with Leighton Baines."
Pearce was briefly installed as caretaker manager of England in 2012 after the resignation of Fabio Capello.
Written by
Chris O'Keefe
Chris O'Keefe
