Football fans have responded to Charlie Austin's claim that Patrick Bamford hasn't been called up to the national squad due to the favoritism towards the big clubs. 

Last week, Gareth Southgate announced his 26-man England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. 

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins received his first international call-up but Leeds United striker Bamford didn't make the cut. 

QPR forward Austin wasn't impressed with Southgate's selections and indicated how playing for a bigger club may help your chances of being picked for England. 

"I think that's going against a lot of people and it's going against Patrick Bamford right now," Austin told TalkSPORT's Drive. 

"That is football snobbery, mate. That's just the way it is." 

Austin then went to draw from his own personal experiences, as he shared how he believes he didn't receive an England cap because he didn't play for a top ten side - despite being the fourth top goal-scorer during the 2014/15 season. 

Following the striker's comments, a number of Premier League supporters have reacted to his views on Twitter. 

Various accounts disagreed with Austin's view, as one user went onto list the likes of Watkins, Sam Johnstone, Nick Pope, Tyrone Mings and James Ward-Prowse who all made the squad.

These five players currently play for stereotypically smaller sides and ultimately disproves Austin's argument. One fan went on to describe his impassioned speech on talkSPORT as "pure waffle". 

Furthermore, one fan pointed to the fact that Bamford "doesn't fit" Southgate's playing style as well as the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Harry Kane. 

However, some supporters were sympathetic to the striker's point, as one user said the following. 

"Always been the same. Managers have their favourites and if you don’t play for one of the big six, then you’re gonna struggle to get into the squad. How can he pick Eric Dier and an injured Rashford over people like Bamford and Trent."

GIVEMESPORT's Tom Kelly says...  

During the peak of Austin's career, you could argue that the big-team bias was a genuine issue and you ultimately can't change his personal view. That is just a consequence of his experiences. 

However, under Southgate, it does appear that the England squad is going in a new and fresh direction. 

Even with the most recent selection, the England boss has provided an opportunity for a number of players to excel in an England shirt, with Watkins recently receiving his first call-up. Leeds teammate Kalvin Phillips, after all, has become a regular under him. 

There's no reason to suggest that Bamford won't be included in future England squads and if he continues to perform to the same consistently high level, Southgate will be left with no choice but to include the Leeds striker.