Sir Geoff Hurst is confident that Arsene Wenger can rebuild the confidence of Arsenal forward Theo Walcott after his exclusion from England's World Cup squad.
England manager Fabio Capello shocked the nation when he chose Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips ahead of 21-year-old Walcott, who has had a disappointing season thanks to inconsistent form and injury.
Walcott had looked to be a certainty for Capello's final 23 after playing in England's final two warm-up games against Japan and Mexico.
Walcott, who was a surprise inclusion for the 2006 World Cup, will now have to watch from the sidelines this summer as Capello's team look to win their first World Cup since Hurst fired the Three Lions to glory in 1966.
Hurst said that he was not surprised by Walcott's omission, and backed the pacy forward to recover under the guidance of Arsenal boss Wenger.
"It doesn't surprise me that he wasn't included," Hurst said.
"The reason he hasn't been included is because of his lack of consistency of performance.
"He has certainly not replicated the form he first showed when he was included in the England squad, mainly thanks to his injuries.
"Nevertheless, if he has a good season and he can replicate the form he started with last year then he can get back in the team. He is quite capable of that.
"Arsene Wenger will be very important to Theo's recovery. He is a great manager and a magnificent mentor to the young players at that club.
"If the club has a good year next year then he'll be back in. This year Tottenham had a great season and it was no coincidence that they had so many players in that 30. When your team plays well then that gives the players confidence."
Darren Bent was another man to be omitted as Capello plumped for Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, Emile Heskey and Jermain Defoe as his four strikers.
Former England defender Alan Mullery felt Bent missed out because Heskey's attributes make him better suited to international football.
He told Sky Sports News: "It's no disrespect to Darren Bent but it's very rare for him to take up balls being played into his feet and then spinning off defenders.
"You have got to be able to get control of the ball, hold the ball up, and Emile Heskey does that very well.
"Even though he doesn't score as many goals as Darren Bent he can keep hold of the ball."
Former England midfielder John Barnes felt the inclusion of Bent would have made England top heavy in the striking department.
"I think we get caught up in how many strikers we want to take, but there is no other country in the world who will take more than four strikers," Barnes said.
"Look at Spain - they pick players for a nice blend and a nice balance to create a certain method of playing, with two or three strikers that will put the ball in the back of the net.
"We could take seven strikers, but if we are not going to play in a way to create chances for them, it doesn't matter how many strikers you have. So I wouldn't necessarily have taken five strikers."
Along with Walcott and Bent, Manchester City winger Adam Johnson, Tottenham centre-back Michael Dawson, Everton full-back Leighton Baines and central midfielders Tom Huddlestone of Tottenham and Scott Parker of West Ham were the other men cut from the 30-man provisional squad.
Hurst felt Johnson would have been worthy of a spot on the place to South Africa after some impressive displays for Manchester City.
He said: "The difference between Johnson and the and rest was that he has more guile. He's a better dribbler, which is what you need in the World Cup.
"If Johnson had been involved for Man City throughout the season he'd have been in the squad.
"He does give us a bit more variation. I think his final ball is better than the existing wide players we have in the squad and I think he probably deserved a place."
Barnes backed the decision to include Joe Cole as he feels England will be best served down the left-hand side through the combination of Cole going forward and his team-mate and namesake Ashley Cole at full-back.
"Joe has re-emerged now, showing his form and quality and I think he would help Ashley Cole," said Barnes.
"Ashley Cole likes to attack and I think when he has a winger outside him he doesn't get forward as well as when he plays with a left-sided midfield player who comes infield a lot.
"If Joe Cole was to play out there, that would help a lot because it would allow Ashley Cole to be like a winger, which is what we want."
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was amazed to learn of Walcott's omission, having expected Spurs winger Aaron Lennon to be competing for selection in the starting XI with the Arsenal player.
"I thought Aaron was a certainty, I thought Theo was a certainty," Redknapp told BBC Radio Five Live.
"I thought both of them would go. I'm surprised Theo's not going.
"He's had a bit of an indifferent season with injuries but he's a good player."
Redknapp backed Huddlestone and Dawson to push for a place in future tournament squads, and never had any doubt Crouch and Defoe would be selected.
However, he thought Bent could have squeezed Heskey out.
"I really felt it was a toss-up between Darren Bent - who's had a great season at Sunderland, been in good form - and Emile Heskey, who's not a good season in fairness, hardly played this season," Redknapp said. "He [Heskey] has played well for England in the past and I think the manager likes it when he plays with Rooney.
"He must have [gone on the partnership] in this situation because otherwise you'd pick Darren Bent. He's had an outstanding season for Sunderland. He's unlucky not to go."
Former England winger Chris Waddle has been a critic of Walcott and said in March that he ""doesn't understand the game" and lacks "a football brain".
Reminded of those comments, Waddle told BBC Radio Five Live: "I'll still stand by them.
"He's had a long time at Arsenal, he's playing with fantastic players, a lot of young players around his age group. He's never nailed his shirt at Arsenal.
"He's obviously filled out a bit, he's become a man, but he's never changed his game in my eyes.
"People keep saying that eventually he'll be a centre-forward, or is he a right winger?
"He's got terrific pace, we know that. His delivery's not the best, he's been hampered by injury most of the season.
"I've got nothing against the lad. I just think it's no surprise for me he's not on the plane."
Waddle added: "I look and I just think he doesn't seem to understand the game."