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England legend Bryan Robson has predicted a bleak future for the Three Lions following their World Cup debacle in Brazil, writes David McDonnell in Los Angeles.

Roy Hodgson’s men not only failed to make it to the knockout stage but finished bottom of their group, without a win and with just a solitary point in what amounted to a humiliating showing.

It was the national team's worst performance at a World Cup for 56 years, and has seen them slump to 20th in world football governing body FIFA’s latest world rankings - below the likes of Greece, USA, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Costa Rica.

Former England and Manchester United skipper Robson, who played 90 times for his country and wore the armband on 65 of those occasions, said the lack of world-class players means the nation can expect more of the same in future tournaments.

“You need world-class players to compete in major competitions and we haven’t got enough at this moment in the squad,” said Robson.

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“You would hope that some of the young lads come through and prove they are top quality players - the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw.

“Now that they’re coming into the squad they’re getting the chance, but we just have to wait a year, or two years.

“There are others, such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere, who you have to give time to progress to become top-drawer players.

“Otherwise, if they prove that they are just good players, it will be a disappointment.

“Because of the qualifying group we have for Euro 2016, I think we can go on and progress to the finals again. But as far as going on to win something like that, I still think we’re way off.

“I think we ended up with what we expected before we went out to Brazil. I felt that everybody was weighing it up in the way we were going to play and many thought we wouldn’t get out of the group.

“All of a sudden, Roy Hodgson brings in some of the younger boys with a bit of pace who have done really well in the Premier League and people started getting a bit excited, suggesting we would have done better than anticipated.

"But, at the end of the day, we got what we expected.”

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Robson also revealed his fear over the lack of stand-out candidates to take over the captaincy from Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard’s decision to retire from international football after 114 caps means the armband is now up for grabs.

But former England skipper Robson, dubbed Captain Marvel in honour of his formidable performances, often against the backdrop of serious injuries, said the lack of genuine leaders at Hodgson’s disposal was a major concern.

“There’s no stand-out captain,” said Robson, speaking in his capacity as a United ambassador during the club’s pre-season tour of the US.

“Even a few years ago, you had the likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Gerrard and Frank Lampard who could have been captain. There was a decision to be made over which one you would go with as captain, because they were all strong candidates.

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“But at this moment in time, I don’t think there is an outstanding candidate. It does worry me a bit for England’s future. We haven’t got an outstanding candidate for captain.”

United striker Wayne Rooney is among the favourites to succeed Gerrard, but Robson said his position up front did not make him an ideal captain, because of the need to see the whole game and organise the team from the back or midfield.

“You look at it and it’s a difficult one,” said Robson. “You want somebody who’s a talker on the pitch, somebody who can organise, and I just think it’s difficult for a forward to do that.

“But if you look at the England set-up at the moment, the candidates are probably [keeper] Joe Hart, [centre-back] Gary Cahill - because he’ll be in the team - and Wayne. And the only one who really stands out is Wayne. There’s no other real candidate when you look at it.

“If Wayne is not a first-choice in the team, it will mean some of the young lads will have come through and done really well because, now that Gerrard has stepped down, Wayne is by far England’s best player.”

The United captaincy is also available after the departures this summer of Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand, with Rooney and Robin van Persie the favourites to earn the honour under new boss Louis van Gaal.

But Robson said Rooney could still captain England, even if he did not fulfil that role for United.

“It doesn’t matter if you captain your club, it’s about who is right for the job and who has the experience to be captain,” he said.

“If Wayne was to be selected as captain, it might give him a real boost where he really feels he needs to lead by example. That may get the best out of Wayne, but that is the manager’s choice.”

* Bryan Robson was speaking at an event in Los Angeles hosted by Bulova - Manchester United’s official time keeper.