Sven-Goran Eriksson insists he would pick just one current England player for his Three Lions side in a huge blow to Gareth Southgate.
England are enduring a nightmare run under Southgate, failing to win any of their last five competitive fixtures and suffering a humiliating 4-0 home defeat to Hungary. They haven't scored a goal from open play in a competitive game since November 2021.
England are hoping to end their dreadful run of form against Nations League rivals Germany at Wembley this evening. The game is a dead rubber, as Germany can't qualify for the finals of the tournament and England's relegation has already been confirmed.
Eriksson's England side were dubbed the "Golden Generation" by critics. It included several footballing legends - including David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Michael Owen and Gary Neville.
The list doesn't stop there. The likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Jamie Carragher were also at Eriksson's disposal during his tenure. As such, he insists Harry Kane is the only current player that would get in his team.
"If there was one player I’d love to have playing for me from this current England team, it’s very easy, Harry Kane," Eriksson told BoyleSports. "He is a golden goalscorer, wherever he plays and you always need that.
Do you agree with Sven-Goran Eriksson? Let us know in the comments below!
"He's not only a goalscorer, he's a target player, he can make assists, he's big, he's a good header, good feet, he's strong, not the quickest in the world but he's quick. He has everything and he could be the one who wins the World Cup for England and maybe he'll be the top goalscorer at this World Cup.
"Every team needs a player like that. It's only one of them, he's very special. I like him and I suppose he will be one of the most important players for England. We had a midfield of Beckham, Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard. You don't want to rest any of those, then you have Owen, a born goalscorer, and Rooney of course."
Southgate's side were regarded as one of the favourites for this year's World Cup in Qatar after reaching the final of Euro 2020 last summer. Yet England fans are now fearing an early exit from the tournament, with some even calling for Southgate to be sacked.
However, Eriksson has highlighted the starting XI's lack of talent instead of the manager's shortcomings. The Swede was in charge of England between 2001 and 2006, guiding them to three consecutive quarter-finals at major tournaments - but no further.
Eriksson thinks his England side was stronger, but does believe Southgate has more depth at his disposal. There's a chance some players could miss the World Cup due to injury, as the Premier League will stop just a week before the tournament starts.
Eriksson added: "For the team we had at the time, 10/11 extremely good players, but if you had injuries, 1, 2 or 3, you struggled to find quality in number 13, 14 and 15, but that's what England have today, I think in every position they have an extremely good bench of players. But to have another Kane? They don't."
