Roy Keane has accused England’s players of allowing their egos to get in the way of success as a team and claims that they lack the desire to win trophies at international level.

“You look at the talent and the technique of the players and England have that in abundance,” the Sunderland manager said. “To say Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney are not as talented and technical as the other players is wrong. But I do believe there are too many egos about in the England set-up and that has cost them dear.”

The former Ireland captain, 36, who missed the 2002 World Cup finals after falling out with Mick McCarthy, then the manager, has frequently voiced his opinions about the leading lights of the Barclays Premier League and, asked if he thinks that today’s players lack the hunger to succeed with their countries, he said: “Without a doubt, and I believe you could see that with England.

“With the top players nowadays, the clubs would be the priority. I have to be careful about what I say about international football, but in the modern day, clubs will be the priority.

Expert View

The faults that lie deep within the nation's football will not be cured simply by handing Steve McClaren his P45

Martin Samuel

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“I am sure they do love playing for their countries, but I watched some of them being interviewed after the game and you could see in their attitude, players are losing the love of playing for their countries.”

Keane expressed his admiration for Steve McClaren, with whom he worked when the man who was dismissed yesterday as England head coach was Sir Alex Ferguson’s No 2 at Manchester United. “He’s an absolutely fantastic coach,” Keane said. “But if you don’t qualify for a major tournament, you are going to suffer the consequences.

“The manager takes the brunt, but I believe players have to take the responsibility. If you look at the talent they [England] have got, it is unbelievable they have not qualified. [But] Steve is a quality coach and he will bounce back.”