Euro 2016: England’s current squad has nothing on the golden generation, says Kieron Dyer
Former Newcastle and West Ham midfielder said only Joe Hart is a world-class player in Euro 2016 squad
Kieron Dyer believes England's current crop simply doesn't compare to their golden generation from a decade ago.
Roy Hodgson's side will kick off their Euro 2016 campaign against Russia on Saturday night with big things expected of his young side.
But Dyer, who played 33 times for England between 1999 and 2007, thinks the current squad in France is a long way behind the side he played in.
Speaking exclusively to , Dyer said: "When us lot went to the 2002 World Cup and 2004 Euro Championships we had a team of world class players.
"We had Gary Neville who’s one of the best right-backs we’ve ever had, Ashley Cole who was the best left-back in the world, Sol Campbell and John Terry who were both world class.
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"In midfield we had Beckham, Scholes, Lampard and Gerrard, all world class players. Up front we had a young Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. I’ve just reeled off ten world class players."
The former Newcastle and West Ham midfielder added: "With this team Rooney isn’t world class anymore with age catching up with him so maybe we have Joe Hart who is and that’s it.
"The rest are very good players with the potential to be world class.
"Because of their age and because they haven’t played much Champions League football yet you cannot compare this squad to that squad. They were called the golden generation for a reason."
Hodgson selected five strikers in his 23-man squad to travel to France this summer, but there was no room for Jermain Defoe despite his impressive form for Sunderland.
"If you were going on form then Defoe should be on the plane but then so should Danny Drinkwater and Townsend and maybe Sterling shouldn’t," Dyer said.
"Even when I was playing in the nineties a lot of squads were picked on reputations and ‘what have you done for me lately?’
"England have won ten out of ten in the group and with Vardy, Sturridge, Rooney and Kane even if Defoe had gone would he have played in front of them four? By taking Rashford for experience I can see why Defoe hasn’t gone."
Kieron Dyer met England fans at The Three Lions pub in Newcastle as part of Carlsberg’s ‘Pubstitutions' campaign.