Lincoln City boss Chris Sutton has urged Manchester City fullback Wayne Bridge to rethink his international exile.

Having made his debut for England against Cameroon in 1997, Sutton refused to play for the B team against Chile the following February and was never selected by Glenn Hoddle again. It was his only full cap.

Now City's Bridge has very publicly withdrawn from Fabio Capello's plans for different personal reasons and the potential for regret could be very much the same.

Sutton told The Sun: "Would I have changed things? Yes, I probably would. In hindsight, I shouldn't have done what I did. I would have had more caps for England, certainly in friendlies.

"Would I have played in a World Cup or a European Championship for my country? I reckon probably not.

"There were some good strikers around, but equally, what happened was still not a wise decision.

"I got one cap against Cameroon. I had a difference of opinion with Glenn Hoddle. It was his prerogative regardless whether he was right or not. I should have accepted it. I didn't. But, you learn from experiences.

"I'm not going to start to advise any current England players. But you listen to your manager. My manager at the time, Roy Hodgson at Blackburn, told me to think carefully about what I did with England.

"Obviously I didn't think carefully and I regretted it!"