Sutton : "Don't waste your chance with England like I did"

Chris Sutton has had an interview in which he advises not to waste the opportunity to play for England. Sutton infamously refused to play in a B game against Chile back in the 1990s and was never selected for England again, and retired with only one cap to his name. Now he's urging the current crop of England stars not to take playing for their country for granted.

Sutton was always a controversial figure during his playing days, having once made national news for being arrested whilst playing for Norwich City. The peak of his controversy came in 1997 when, after making his international debut against Cameroon, refused to play for the England B team.

 "Would I have changed things? Yes, I probably would. In hindsight, I shouldn't have done what I did. I would have had more caps for England, certainly in friendlies.  Would I have played in a World Cup or a European Championship for my country? I reckon probably not," he told the Sun newspaper.

"There were some good strikers around, but equally, what happened was still not a wise decision.  I got one cap against Cameroon. I had a difference of opinion with Glenn Hoddle. It was his prerogative regardless whether he was right or not. I should have accepted it. I didn't. But, you learn from experiences."

Wayne Bridge is the latest player to rule himself out for England following a highly public spat with John Terry.

"I'm personally not going to start to advise any current England players. But you listen to your manager. My manager at the time, Roy Hodgson at Blackburn, told me to think carefully about what I did with England. Obviously I didn't think carefully and I regretted it!"