Trevor Sinclair has described Callum Hudson-Odoi as 'arrogant' after the Chelsea winger rejected an England under-21s call-up this month.
On Thursday, Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate confirmed the FA had wanted to select Hudson-Odoi for under-21 duty.
But the Chelsea forward — who has three senior England caps — does not want to be considered for Lee Carsley's squad as they take on Czech Republic and Georgia this month.
Sinclair has led the criticism of Hudson-Odoi, who has seen his game time increase for Chelsea in recent weeks, in the aftermath of his decision.
He told talkSPORT: 'The only one I would say is bad is Hudson-Odoi – and I don't mean to pick him out.
'For me, I think that's quite arrogant. A big part of being a footballer and a big reason why you make it is staying humble.
'There's a lot of ups and downs. When you're flying, you're alright, when you're not doing so well, you've got people who have got your back.
'I think Hudson-Odoi saying that he's not playing for the Under-21s is poor.'
But Tuchel, speaking ahead of Chelsea's Premier League clash with Burnley on Saturday, rejected that assertion and insisted he will not force any of his players to accept an international call-up.
The German said: 'It's easy to judge from the outside. You need to hear both sides.
'It's not necessary that I'm involved. I'm not here to convince players to join when they don't want to join.
'If there are consequences, I'm sure he will take the consequences.'
Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood also rejected an England call-up but Southgate was defensive of the 20-year-old.
The Three Lions boss revealed that Greenwood, after talks with his family, believes he isn't ready for a senior call-up.
But his appraisal of the Hudson-Odoi situation was less encouraging, however, as he indicated the 20-year-old Chelsea star did not want to be considered for the Under 21s.
'He feels he would be best served staking a case for the team with Chelsea,' Southgate explained.
'I think he has a better chance of impressing us if he is with the Under 21s as well, frankly.'