Sir Trevor Brooking believes Steve McClaren's current striker crisis is a sign that the influx of foreign players into English football is harming the national team.
Brooking, the Football Association's director of football development, insists England's ability to compete with the world's best sides is "under threat" due to the small number of homegrown players plying their trade in the Barclays Premier League.
The lack of depth in the pool of top-flight players available to England coach McClaren has been exposed by a number of key injuries ahead of the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers with Israel and Russia.
With Wayne Rooney and Darren Bent injured and Peter Crouch suspended his attacking options have been worst hit, leading to a shock recall for much-maligned frontman Emile Heskey after more than three years out of the international scene.
And Brooking lays the blame for McClaren's selection dilemma squarely at the feet of the Premier League managers who have come to rely on foreign talent.
"I don't think you can underestimate (the threat) and people are just starting to identify it," he told BBC's Inside Sport.
"Two or three years ago most people in the game would say they saw it coming but hoped we would get by with some of the current squad and one or two of the youngsters, but we have nowhere near the depth we should have and that will be an issue as soon as you pick up injuries.
"We have that now in attack with the senior squad and we're struggling to find a replacement."
Brooking insists that England fans may soon have to lower their expectations as a result.
He said of the national team: "I think it has to be under threat - the numbers show that.
"Last year about 40 percent of the starting XIs in the Premier League were English and with the upsurge of money in the game and all the buying that has gone on over the summer that will probably fall to under a third.
"If you look at Italy when they won the last World Cup, I think they had over 70% of their league made up of domestic players. Spain, France, Holland, they're all up there in the 60 pecents.
"Germany aren't much better than us but we're the lowest. The more that goes down, and the pool of choice reduces, we must come under pressure."
Brooking believes the current crop of players may represent England's last chance of international success for some time.
He continued: "We've got a good nucleus now - our squad in last year's World Cup was one of the youngest - so they should stay together for the next five years or so. But after that, is there enough coming through?"
The lack of depth in the pool of top-flight players available to England coach McClaren has been exposed by a number of key injuries ahead of the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers with Israel and Russia.
With Wayne Rooney and Darren Bent injured and Peter Crouch suspended his attacking options have been worst hit, leading to a shock recall for much-maligned frontman Emile Heskey after more than three years out of the international scene.
And Brooking lays the blame for McClaren's selection dilemma squarely at the feet of the Premier League managers who have come to rely on foreign talent.
"I don't think you can underestimate (the threat) and people are just starting to identify it," he told BBC's Inside Sport.
"Two or three years ago most people in the game would say they saw it coming but hoped we would get by with some of the current squad and one or two of the youngsters, but we have nowhere near the depth we should have and that will be an issue as soon as you pick up injuries.
"We have that now in attack with the senior squad and we're struggling to find a replacement."
Brooking insists that England fans may soon have to lower their expectations as a result.
He said of the national team: "I think it has to be under threat - the numbers show that.
"Last year about 40 percent of the starting XIs in the Premier League were English and with the upsurge of money in the game and all the buying that has gone on over the summer that will probably fall to under a third.
"If you look at Italy when they won the last World Cup, I think they had over 70% of their league made up of domestic players. Spain, France, Holland, they're all up there in the 60 pecents.
"Germany aren't much better than us but we're the lowest. The more that goes down, and the pool of choice reduces, we must come under pressure."
Brooking believes the current crop of players may represent England's last chance of international success for some time.
He continued: "We've got a good nucleus now - our squad in last year's World Cup was one of the youngest - so they should stay together for the next five years or so. But after that, is there enough coming through?"
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