'Babies' England need 'grown up' lessons: Rio Ferdinand

England's players are being treated like complete babies in comparison to other major international teams, claimed the side's one time top defender Rio Ferdinand.

The former England defender, who won 81 caps from 1997-2011, has revealed this criticism in his new autobiography, reports Sport24.

Ferdinand, 35, who represented Manchester United for years before joining Queens Park Rangers in a pre-season transfer, said he was also quite impressed by the way manager Louis van Gaal treated his Netherlands' players while guiding them to a third-placed finish at this year's World Cup.

Ferdinand is now a BBC football pundit and believes England could learn lessons from the "grown-up" approach of the Dutch.

England haven't won a major trophy since lifting the World Cup on home soil in 1966.

Ferdinand, named as a member of the FA commission set up by chairman Greg Dyke in October 2013 aimed at improving he fortunes of the national side, said an organisational revamp was required to make England truly competitive with the world's best teams.