Jack Wilshere has reiterated "foreigners" should not play for England.
The Arsenal midfielder has received criticism after he appeared to strongly oppose the possibility of Belgian-born Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj representing the Three Lions.
However Wilshere claimed he was not referring to Januzaj specifically and blamed "poor journalism" for the gathering storm.
Wilshere has not properly backtracked by "clarifying"
"Seems to be a trend in this country, poor journalism in my eyes! I wasn't referring to Janujaz," he said on Twitter.
"The question was should foreign players be allowed to play for England, and in my opinion I don't think they should! He is a great player.
"I wish he [Januzaj] was English! I'm sure most of you agree with me even if some journalists are trying to make me look bad....again!"
Wilshere said on Tuesday: "The only people who should play for England are English people.
"If you live in England for five years it doesn't make you English. If I went to Spain and lived there for five years I am not going to play for Spain. We have to remember what we are.
Wilshere, 21, is appearing on back pages with greater regularity after he belatedly acknowledged on Monday he had made a mistake by smoking a cigarette on a night out last week.