Graeme Souness has dubbed it a "shame" that Gareth Southgate is reluctant to deploy England's more attacking and creative players, particularly in the middle of the pitch.
The Three Lions boss opted for a more conservative midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham for the most recent World Cup clash against Wales, despite the fact that there was very little chance of England being eliminated from the competition. It was a decision that sparked plenty of backlash among fans.
This stems from the fact that many want to see how England would play if they had the someone like James Maddison or Phil Foden operating more centrally to complement young talents like Bukayo Saka and the more experienced Marcus Rashford.
Southgate's pragmatic brand of football has often prompted criticism, with Souness the latest high-profile figure from within the game to admit it hasn't been to his liking.
While discussing the 3-0 win over Wales, the Scotsman wrote in the Daily Mail : "It was a game crying out for James Maddison and Mason Mount — two of England’s most dynamic and creative players — but what did we get? A midfield built not for creativity but for pragmatism, with Jordan Henderson playing further up the field and Declan Rice sitting."
Despite Souness being a Liverpool great, he conceded that Reds skipper Henderson is limited in what he brings to the game from an attacking, creative perspective. He added that the midfielder is perhaps better used when trying to preserve a lead rather than chase one.
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Souness went on, detailing the kind of player he'd prefer to see in the midfield, one boasting traits such as being able to take the ball on the half-turn and have a constant awareness of what is going on around him while also possessing a goal threat.
Having predicted that the Three Lions would have enough to get past Senegal in the last 16 on Sunday, Souness added that Southgate is unlikely to change his approach if England meet France at the quarter-final stage.
"Don’t expect to see England minus the handbrake any time soon unless they’re chasing a game," he bemoaned. "Don’t expect to see a great deal of Mount, or anything of Maddison.
"That’s a huge shame because Gareth has a great array of creative players at his disposal. Players such as Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish and Maddison are instinctive. For them, the picture in their head is forever changing when they’re on the ball."
