Gareth Bale and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain criticised by former England U21 manager Stuart Pearce

Outspoken: Stuart Pearce has criticised Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Phil Jones (Picture: Getty Images)

Stuart Pearce has hit out at Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Phil Jones after their England Under 21 no show for the summer’s Euro 2013 tournament and questioned Gareth Bale’s late withdrawal from his Team GB 2012 Olympic squad.

The 51-year-old lost his job as U21 manager after a dismal showing in this summer’s competition – they lost all three of their matches – and was replaced by Gareth Southgate.

After the tournament, Pearce claimed some of the squad were not happy to be in Israel and now he accused Arsenal’s Oxlade-Chamberlain and Manchester United defender Phil Jones of ‘apathy’ after the pair turned down the chance to play for their country.

‘In our wildest dreams do you honestly think that England or any nation in the world can turn up at a major tournament without six or seven – I think there were eight players with senior international caps – who could have played for the England Under-21s this summer?’ he told Sky Sports.

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In the firing line: Manchester United’s Phil Jones, left, has been criticised by Pearce (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

‘The odd one was injury, [but] apathy played a big part of it – the Oxlade-Chamberlains of this world, the Phil Joneses, because they didn’t want to come.

‘Once they go through the golden ivory towers of the seniors they don’t want to come and play with the Under-21s any more.

‘Until we solve that problem – however we solve it – [there will be no success].’

Pearce then turned his ire on Bale – Real Madrid’s newest acquisition, who cost the Spanish club a world-record fee of £85.3million from Tottenham.

The 24-year-old was accused by Team GB boss Pearce of crying off from his squad the night before he was selected.

‘We had a situation with Gareth Bale. We were going into the Olympic Games, I’ve spoken to him seven months prior about going to the Games,’ he said.

Olympic withdrawal: Gareth Bale pulled out of Pearce’s London 2012 Team GB squad with a back injury (Picture: Getty Images)

‘I’m going to put the squad out on the Friday morning – on Thursday he rings me and says his back’s not so good, he’s going to have to pull out of the squad.

‘He plays his first game for Tottenham pre-season the same day as we play our first Olympic game.

‘We’ve got the brightest talent in Britain at the time didn’t want to go to the Olympic Games.’