Chris Sutton admits turning down 1998 England B call-up derailed his entire international career

Chris Sutton has admitted that refusing an England B call-up in 1998 was an impetuous decision that cost him any realistic chance of a full international career, leaving him with just a single senior cap to his name.

The former striker was asked by then-manager Glenn Hoddle to feature in a B team fixture against Chile during the build-up to the 1998 World Cup, with Hoddle using the game to assess fringe candidates before finalising his tournament squad. Sutton, however, turned the invitation down, convinced he merited a place in the senior setup rather than the secondary fixture.

“Yes, I made a rash decision with England,” Sutton told the Daily Mail. “Well, a little bit of a rash decision. I don’t know if it was held against me when Sven Goran Eriksson was manager. I went to Celtic and had five good years there, playing some good football and never got a look-in. Let’s be realistic, I wouldn’t have played that often because there were players ahead of me in the pecking order. But that decision back then? Yes, it was a bit impetuous.”

Sutton was one of the most prominent forwards in English football at the time, having played a key role in Blackburn Rovers’ Premier League title win in the 1994/95 season. A spell at Chelsea followed before he moved to Celtic, where he spent five years and collected eight major honours — four Scottish league titles, three Scottish Cups and the League Cup. He was also part of Martin O’Neill’s Celtic side that reached the 2004 UEFA Cup final, where they lost 3-2 to Porto.

Despite that sustained success north of the border, Sutton never added to his solitary England cap. He retired in 2007 following spells at Aston Villa and Birmingham City.

The reflection comes as England prepare for their UEFA Nations League campaign under Thomas Tuchel, who has already been forced into changes after Cole Palmer, Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice all withdrew from the squad. Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner have been called up as replacements.