Kevin Kilbane has criticised Aston Villa winger Jack Grealish for pledging his international future to England instead of the Republic of Ireland.
The 20-year-old, who has Irish grandparents, has played for the Boys in Green up until Under-21 level, but decided this week to represent the country of his birth.
Kilbane, who has 110 caps for Ireland, told BBC Sport: "He's been nurtured by the FAI at youth levels. I'm disappointed because he would have been a great addition to the squad.
"He would probably have been the Ireland team now. Unfortunately it's not to be from Ireland's point of view. Hopefully for him he'll go on and have a successful career with England.
"I would rather have had one cap for Ireland than 100 for England. I grew up wanting to play for Ireland. I knew from an early age - I'm very different from Jack in that respect."
Kilbane was born in Preston, Lancashire, while Grealish was born in Solihull, West Midlands.
Giuseppe Labellarte
