England cannot be arrogant and just assume that players with dual nationality will choose the Three Lions ahead of other countries, former Football Association technical director Dan Ashworth has warned.

“A lot of people have a lot of different ties, emotions,” he said, explaining how the FA is actively tracking a crop of young players. “We have 75 under-15s on our radar, our ‘long list’, and 55 have dual or more nationality,” Ashworth said. “That could be Scotland, Ireland and Wales as well, but the diversity of our country is thankfully changing.

“That gives us a bigger and better pool of players to pick from, but it also brings words of warning to governing bodies and national associations: don’t assume they are locked into your particular nation because, like in club land, there might be more suitors looking.”

Ashworth, 48, who left the FA after six years in February to take the technical director’s job at Brighton, said: “We cannot be arrogant enough to assume that if you are living in England you automatically want to play for England.”

The flip side is that England should not be afraid to recruit players eligible for other countries, as they did with West Ham United’s Declan Rice, who has switched from the Republic of Ireland.

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Sam Allardyce, as England manager, spoke about calling up French midfielder Steven Nzonzi – though he turned out to be ineligible – and Manchester United’s young star Adnan Januzaj, before he opted for Belgium.

“You look at other sports and countries, and you want to recruit from the biggest pool you possibly can ... who are eligible through the rules and regulations – your ‘grand-parenting rule’,” said Ashworth.

Players can also qualify through residency. “Every other nation is using those rules to expand their pool of players. Why isn’t England?” asks Ashworth. “The days are gone with the big clubs that say, ‘We are Club X so they should want to play for us’. It is the same with England.”

Another aspect is the limited opportunities for English players in the Premier League – such as Jadon Sancho who only made Gareth Southgate’s full England squad after joining Borussia Dortmund.

“The standard of young player coming through now, compared to when I started in youth development 20-something years ago, is chalk and cheese. There’s a massive difference,” Ashworth said.

Ideally, Ashworth said, the players would get their chance in the Premier League, but: “If our players are playing at the top end, the top leagues, for top clubs such as Dortmund ... it means other nations are looking at our players and recognising the talent that is in the system [and] they are getting big-match experiences, and big games. Jadon’s going to be a better player for England for that.”

Quoting Bayern Munich’s interest in Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ashworth said: “These are some big-hitters after some young English talent ... that can only be good for the English game. It means we are producing players and people that others find attractive.”

Such is the progress made by England that the DFB – the German Football Federation – visited St George’s Park to see how the FA had reorganised itself, winning the World Cups at U-17 and U-20 levels.

“Let’s face it, the Germans have been at the top of the game for a number of years, and more than enough that we can learn from them,” said Ashworth. “I was quite pleased they felt they could take a bit from us.”