Michael Owen feels the England national team is in a worrying state.
The former Liverpool and Manchester United striker admits he is anxious about the quality of youth within the Three Lions setup after the U20s crashed out of the World Cup in Turkey this summer without a point.
"I worry about the future of our national team," Owen told Sportlobster.com.
"Of course, the obvious excuse is to say we were missing some of our best young players (Jack Rodwell, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Phil Jones) as they were in the senior squad.
"This was certainly the case but it's worrying that our senior team apparently needs them so much that our young national teams have to suffer in such a way.
"Excuses aside, the truth is that we're falling short of the level expected at present and I'm concerned about the future of all our national teams."