Southampton star Adam Lallana has been lauded as one of the best players in England by Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The 25-year-old, who made his Three Lions debut last November, has been in good form in the Premier League this season.
And Pochettino feels his captain should be one of the first names on Roy Hodgson’s team-sheet as he would be with any other nation in the world.
Lallana and Rodriguez celebrate the opening goal at Fulham.
"In my opinion, if Adam Lallana had a Brazilian nationality, a Spanish nationality, if he were another Mata, Oscar, Hazard, or any of these type of players then, for sure, he would be going with their national side,” said the Argentinian, after seeing Lallana score in his side’s 3-0 win over Fulham at the weekend.
“I truly believe that, you can see that he is one of the most talented players in the English game right now.
"He is the type of player that is hard to find in any other English team. It is clear to anyone the talent that he has got.
"But I have great respect for Roy Hodgson's decisions, it's not up to me to decide who gets on the plane.”
Hodgson was at Craven Cottage for Saturday’s game, which also saw Lallana’s fellow Englishmen Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez on the scoresheet.
The goal was Lallana’s seventh of an increasingly impressive season, which Pochettino believes is only going to get better.
Lallana has scored in The FA Cup this season.
"His progress is consistent, his progress is constant," he added.
"It's his second season in the Premier League so it's only normal that he's becoming even more professional and his progress is always on the up, it's always constant.
"These are players that are always improving and they are showing their talent and progression.
"He is a very talented player, a very special player and he is a player I really praise.
“I really like his characteristics as a player and hopefully he can be on that plane to Brazil because I think he fully deserves it, he fully deserves to be there."
