Stuart Pearce has questioned the selection of Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw in England’s World Cup squad, claiming the younger contingent picked by Roy Hodgson need guaranteed playing time and would have benefited more from remaining in the Under-21 set-up.

Pearce, who coached the England Under-21s at four European Championships between 2007 and 2013, voiced concerns that other countries have a better structure for youth progression, saying international teams below senior level should have the chance to play together for a number of years and learn how to approach tournament football before elevation to the full squad.

Barkley, Shaw and Raheem Sterling all featured in Wednesday’s World Cup warm-up match against Ecuador in Miami. Sterling was sent off 14 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute while Shaw and Barkley started the 2-2 draw, the Everton midfielder impressing and setting up Rickie Lambert for the second goal.

Hodgson said Barkley still has “got a lot to learn” and tempered the expectations surrounding the 20-year-old, but Pearce believes he should not have been selected at all. “At this moment in time we’ve got a national team at senior level that have not won anything for 48 years,” said Pearce, speaking before the Ecuador friendly. “If you look around Europe, at the French or the Spanish, before they won a World Cup or European Championship they were champions at Under-19 or Under-21 level. That tells me that they are building from the bottom.

“If you are going to upgrade someone to a higher age group, be aware that their mentality will mean they won’t want to come back down and play in the Under-21 championship. That’s a fact. It means you go to an Under-21 tournament with so many players missing like last time and you can’t win anything. It means you consistently don’t win anything in the underage groups and that means you can’t win anything at senior level.”

On the selection of Barkley, Shaw and Sterling, Pearce – who will work as a pundit for TalkSport during the World Cup – said: “The culmination of minutes that Ross has played this season for the senior team, bearing in mind he’s been in every senior squad, he’s played less than 90 minutes.

“Does that mean he’s had great experience sitting in the stands or does it mean he’s missed six or seven Under-21 qualifiers and the experience of international football. I know where I would have left him.

“Shaw has had a very good season but I personally would still have taken Ashley Cole. Shaw missed the Toulon tournament and an Under-21 qualifier. I think he’d be better suited there. Sterling has more chance [to play], I can see the argument with him.”

Pearce, who will officially take up his new position as Nottingham Forest manager in July, departed the England Under-21s after their disappointing campaign at Euro 2013, when the team lost every match. In the aftermath of the tournament Pearce criticised a number of players for their attitudes, blaming “apathy” from some who had featured for the full England team.

Hodgson was impressed with Barkley’s display against Ecuador but does not want the midfielder to become over-hyped and the subject of attention when he believes other players have warranted praise as well.

“He’s got drive, he’s got energy, but he’s got a lot to learn as well, not least of all when he needs to release the ball, when he can turn with it, when he just needs to secure it, because for every good turn there was a time when he lost the ball and put us on the back foot defensively,” said Hodgson.

“But I’m sure he’ll be happy with his performance, as a first one for 90 minutes, and I think he justified the fact I’ve taken him with us on this adventure we’re embarking on, because a player of his type, with the confidence and who is prepared to take an awful lot of risks with the ball, there will be times in the game when we need him. He’s a talented boy, I’m not criticising him. I’m just making certain that people don’t get too carried away.”

Asked if he was cooling the expectations of the younger players, Hodgson said: “You’ve got to do that. Because I know that before he becomes Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard and gets 100 caps – and the same goes for Sterling, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaw, Smalling and Jones – they’ve got a lot of growing to do.”