England World Cup winger George Cohen is against Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta pulling on a Three Lions shirt.
Arteta has declared an ambition to play for England.
But Fulham legend Cohen told the Independent: "One of the biggest concerns in English football is surely that we are just not bringing on enough of our players equipped to play in the international game or even, when you look at the make-up of the leading clubs, in Premier League football.
"Arteta, the ways things are, would simply be the thin edge of the wedge. More and more players in his category, which is to say good but not good enough for countries like Spain and France, Italy and Germany, would qualify through residency, and where would that leave the home-grown product? Suffering even more neglect than he does now.
"I know it has happened elsewhere in the world, with Marcos Senna playing for Spain and Deco for Portugal, but that doesn't make it right. Maybe the time has gone when you can confidently believe there are a few things in football more important than money, but it would be nice to think that playing for your country is one of them.
"Sometimes the issue can be blurred a bit if a lad has, say, an English father and a Welsh mother, and then you can say that maybe the player is entitled to follow his heart.
"It is different with coaches. Coaches are there to provide knowledge and experience; they don't cross the white line and get involved in the passion of a game in the same way.
"I guess I'm old-fashioned but I still can't imagine any greater motivation than pulling on your country's shirt and going out to play for your own people."
