Danny Murphy believes Gareth Southgate is wrong to continue ignoring Jack Grealish as the Aston Villa captain was once again left out of the latest England squad.
The Three Lions begin a new Nations League campaign by taking on Iceland on Saturday followed by Denmark the following Tuesday ahead of the kick-off to the 2020-21 Premier League season.
Southgate named his 24-man squad last week, with Grealish a notable absentee despite his eight goals and six assists to help save Villa from relegation last season.
And writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Murphy stated his belief that Southgate is being too cautious by refusing to take a gamble and select Grealish.
"I feel for Jack Grealish," Murphy said. "He was superb for Aston Villa last season, one of the standout English players in the Premier League, and was the key to his side's survival.
"So, it was a huge blow for him to be left out of the England squad for the Nations League games. Gareth Southgate said he sees Grealish as a winger, maybe as a No 10, and he has a wealth of talent in those areas with Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.
"It's true, England have tremendous quality in attacking areas. Where I think Southgate is wrong is seeing him only in those positions. At his best, I believe Grealish is part of the midfield trio behind the front three."
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Murphy still holds out hope, however, that Grealish's chance will come if he remains patient and performs well in the coming season.
"It is a bit predictable that England chose the orthodox options," he added. "The misconception about Grealish is that people see him as just a dribbler. He's not. He has a superb range of passing and can open teams up from this deeper position.
"I feel for Jack but he is determined. His time will come. He will get his chance."
