England Player Snubbed Call-Up After Feeling He Wasn’t 'Taken Seriously'

A former England player turned down a call-up from England after feeling as though he wasn't "taken too seriously" at international level.

England return to action on Thursday night with a charity friendly against Wales at Wembley, with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Adam Wharton and Jack Grealish among the stars left out by Thomas Tuchel.

But many years ago, one ex England star rejected the opportunity to play for his country after becoming disillusioned with his situation.

Luke Young made 378 appearances in the Premier League, turning out for the likes of Spurs, Charlton, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers.

He also played seven times for England, with his entire Three Lions career coming across 168 days.

Young played seven times for England. Image: Getty

Young made his debut against the United States in May 2005 and his international career ended with a game against Argentina in November of that year.

All of Young's caps came under Sven Goran-Eriksson, with five coming from the start and a further two coming from the bench.

But having been primarily used as understudy to the likes of Gary Neville, Micah Richards and Glen Johnson, Young eventually gave up on his international career.

When at Villa, Young made himself unavailable for selection and rejected a late call-up from Fabio Capello ahead of a clash with Brazil in November 2009 following an injury to Johnson - because he felt like there was no point.

He had been in a number of squads and training camps but never took to the pitch.

"I pretty much got picked for one squad every 10 when someone was injured," he said, as per the Evening Standard.

"When I used to turn up I used to sit in the stands.

"I didn't really get taken too seriously. When I originally got in the squad in 2005 I really wanted to give it a go.

"For whatever reason, I faded out after playing a few games and now feel like my best days are behind me."

All of Young's caps came in the same year. Image: Getty

After Neville retired from international duty in 2007, a spot opened up at right-back but did not go to Young, who won six out of the seven England games he played.

Speaking ahead of the 2010 World Cup, Young stressed that he had made up his mind and was happy with his decision.

He added: "I am 31 in the summer so I am hardly going to have a four or five-year career with England looking ahead.

"Maybe it's time for a younger player to come in and stake his claim."