Paul Gascoigne reveals the one thing that ‘drives him nuts’ about England players

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Paul Gascoigne has expressed his deep frustration at the lack of emotion shown by modern England players.Gascoigne, who played 57 times for the Three Lions revealed the pride he felt every time he wore the national shirt.Will Thomas Tuchel include showing more emotion in his pep talk during the international break?GettyThe debate about players’ commitment to England has been brought to widespread attention after a number of players withdrew from the squad.Five high-profile players pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Spain, Czechia, and Croatia.Cole Palmer is one of several players who have left the squad, with Declan Rice, Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford all returning to the parent sides ‘due to respective injury issues’.However, four of those players had started for their clubs in the Premier League over the weekend and did not appear to leave the pitch injured.Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner have since been drafted into the England squad for the upcoming Nations League clashes.Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Gazza highlighted his dismay at what he perceives as a lack of patriotism and pride among the current generation.He said: “I mean, I loved playing for my country. You know, putting on that white shirt, I just thought of my family, made them proud, you know.“It’s quite emotional now talking about it. Playing for your country means so much.“I see some of the players when they score and they don’t really celebrate. And that drives me nuts. You know, I remember when I made my debut for the Under-21s and it was a tournament tour…“I scored and there was no one in the crowd. So I jumped over the fence and celebrated on the motorway. Yeah, I was on the motorway again.Gascoigne is regarded as one of English football’s best ever talentsGETTY“You see some of them and they pull out the squad. It’s not very good.“But the thing is with Bobby Robson, it didn’t matter how bad you played for your club, if you played well for England, he would pick you again. So you knew that, but when you keep chopping and changing, some players get fed up with it.”Palmer outMany pundits have specifically been critical of Palmer, who was reinstated into Tuchel’s squad with the Chelsea man suffering a 2026 World Cup snub.The 24-year-old had the entire summer break after his omission to recover from a lingering groin injury and critics have pointed out that the midfielder has only played five games in the Premier League so far this season.Gascoigne, considered one of England’s greatest ever players, was called up to the England under-21 side in the summer of 1987 and scored with a free-kick in his debut in a 2–0 win over Morocco.Following his performance, he was then called up to the senior squad by Bobby Robson for a friendly against Denmark in September 1988 and came late in the game for Peter Beardsley in a 1–0 win.Teammate Bryan Robson referred to the midfielder as ‘challenging Maradona as the best player in the world’ at the 1990 World Cup.Gazza demanded more emotion from the current crop of England players on talkSPORT Breakfast on TuesdaytalkSPORTGraham Taylor replaced Robson as the England boss and switched Gascoigne in favour of 32-year-old Gordon Cowans.However, once Gascoigne returned to peak fitness, he immediately reclaimed his spot for a crucial World Cup qualifier against Norway.He remained an integral figure for England across successive managerial reigns, including under Glenn Hoddle.However, prior to the 1998 World Cup squad selection the midfielder was pictured on a night out, prompting Hoddle not to pick him in the final squad.After hearing the news, Gascoigne wrecked Hoddle’s room in a rage. He would never play for England again.