Micah Richards says he was too young to play for England as an 18 year old but is a much better player now. The Manchester City defender is currently on loan at Italian side Fiorentina.
"Sometimes, when English players do well at a young age, they get thrown in and get spat back out three of four years later," said Richards.
"I was brought through too young. If you put me in an England shirt now, I'd be 10 times better than I was."
In an interview with BBC's Football Focus, he explained: "I had a couple of good seasons with City but, positionally, I wasn't good enough. Technically, I was not international standard.
"I was using my pace and power to get me out of trouble."
The 26 year old says he would "love to play for England again" but does not expect Roy Hodgson to come out to watch him play in Italy.
"If he decides to come out here, then good luck to him," said Richards. "If he doesn't, then I will do what I have to do."
Richards said he felt he always performed well for the national side but queried the selection process.
"Some players get to a stage when they haven't played for a couple of years and then they don't pick them again," he said.
"They are always looking for the next new thing, which sometimes I don't always see as right.
"Players should be picked on performance. Sometimes England think: 'Let's bring in the young new player and hype them up'."
