Mark Hughes believes Robbie Savage should be playing for Wales

The Blackburn star is one of a number of Premiership players who are out of favour with the Wales coach.

And speaking to the BBC's Sport Wales show, Hughes said that Toshack could ill-afford to leave out players of Savage's experience.

"Robbie Savage is a situation which has been disappointing for all parties," said Savage's current club manager.

"There are guys plying their trade at Premiership level, not just Robbie, good players who would help the Welsh cause and they are not getting picked for whatever reason.

"Maybe that's a difference between international management and club management.

"With club management, you can ostracise players and just ignore them, but I don't think you can do that in international management.

"With a country such as Wales, you have to use all the resources available to you. If you've got players playing in the Premier League, I would've thought it would make sense to play them."

I got an OBE for what I did so someone thought I did something good Mark Hughes

Hughes took Wales to within one game of Euro 2004, the closest they have come to a major international tournament since Paul Bodin's penalty miss in 1994.

Toshack has had two attempts at qualifying for a major international tournament and has not even come close.

The former Liverpool legend is less than complimentary about the Hughes era, but to the annoyance of the Blackburn Rovers manager.

He said: "There is a lot of criticism aimed my way, unwarranted I feel, certainly in regards to the young players coming through.

"If you look at the likes of Jason Koumas, Simon Davies, Danny Gabbidon and James Collins, they are all guys I gave debuts to. I didn't completely ignore the youth situation at Wales level.

"There are things that have been said maybe to protect certain people's positions, but I know the job I did there. I got an OBE for what I did so someone thought I did something good."

Toshack has also often played down the success his predecessor enjoyed in the job, but Hughes believes he deserves credit for taking Wales to the brink of Euro 2004.

He said: "I can understand where John is coming from.

"He has obviously got to protect his own position and is trying to give himself time by lowering expectations.

"(It is as if) any success is something for people to cling onto, whereas I went a different way and tried to make people believe we could go on and qualify.

"We came very, very close (to qualifying) exceptionally close."

Sport Wales is on BBC 2W at 22:00 BST.

BBC 2W is available outside of Wales on freeview and digital/cable satellite.