England legend Paul Gascoigne has criticised the lack of emotion shown by some players when scoring for the national team, saying their muted celebrations “drive me nuts”.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are preparing for four Nations League fixtures, beginning with a meeting against World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on Saturday.
England will then face Czechia twice and Croatia as Tuchel continues to shape his squad ahead of the next major tournament.
Gascoigne, who earned 57 caps and became one of the iconic figures of the national team during the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96, believes representing England should mean more to the current generation.
“I loved playing for my country. You know, putting on that white shirt, I just thought of my family, made them proud,” Gascoigne told talkSPORT.
❤️ “I loved playing for my country… I’m quite emotional now!”
😡 “I see some players score and they don’t even celebrate and that drives me nuts!”
Paul Gascoigne does not like the amount of players pulling out of the England squad! 🏴😫 pic.twitter.com/pQ5lrk8TRy
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 22, 2026
“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.”
Gascoigne recalled a story from his early days with England to underline how much scoring for his country meant to him.
“I scored and there was no one in the crowd. So I jumped over the fence and celebrated on the motorway.”
Gascoigne questions England withdrawals
Gascoigne also criticised the number of players who have withdrawn from Tuchel’s latest England squad.
Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Tino Livramento and Kobbie Mainoo have all pulled out of the group for the four Nations League matches, with The Athletic suggesting the players are out because of their accumulated minutes over a sustained period of time.
Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner have subsequently been called up, while John Stones, Reece James and Djed Spence were already unavailable through injury.
Cole Palmer is also absent from the squad after being overlooked for England’s World Cup campaign in North America.
“You see some of them and they pull out the squad. It’s not very good,” Gascoigne said.
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