England's approach to Jude Bellingham mirrors Gascoigne and Hoddle

James once graced England squads that featured the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes. Plenty of selection posers were faced back then, and nothing has changed down the years. The Three Lions famously failed to make the most of having Tottenham legend Hoddle at their disposal in the 1980s, while the mercurial talents of Gazza were ignored - by Hoddle - at the 1998 World Cup.

Pressed on whether England have historically mismanaged players that other countries would have made cornerstones of their respective teams, James added: "Let me just think about success. First of all, we had no success with those players and their ultimate success, i.e.

winning trophies." "I think when you look at successful world teams, you're talking about exceptional talent. I'm not saying Jude Bellingham hasn't got exceptional talent, but France, [Zinedine] Zidane, [Andres] Iniesta for Spain, Lionel Messi for Argentina.

England

jude bellingham, gascoigne, hoddle, england, three lions, wayne rooney, steven gerrard, paul scholes, world cup, player selection