David Ginola has slammed England's young players after this week's friendly defeat to France.

Ginola was shocked by the lack of quality displayed by England's brightest.

The former Newcastle, Spurs and Aston Villa star told The Sun: "I have gone around the world with the 2018 World Cup bid telling everyone English football is the best in the world.

"It is the truth. But I'm talking about the state of football in England, not the football of England.

"It's all down to a lack of skill and until English players learn the fundamentals, the techniques, the skills - well things are not going to change."

Ginola believes it will take 10 years to turn the situation around.

He added: "You have to be able to hold the ball, to pass the ball.

"It's normally about the battle for midfield and if you lose that you generally lose the game.

"England lost the midfield against Laurent Blanc's France - they had Gareth Barry, Jordan Henderson and James Milner in the middle but they hardly went forward.

"Three midfield players not going forward. Incredible! It was like England were playing with the handbrake on.

"Those players should have brought Andy Carroll much more into the game and Theo Walcott, too. They should have been sliding passes into the gaps for them to exploit.

"And I believe Walcott would have become England's missile launcher instead of the flop of the night.

"Instead, the French kept the ball while the English were struggling to put more than three passes together."