Saints boss Gordon Strachan admitted that Sven Goran Eriksson's decision to leave James Beattie out of the England squad has left him "scratching his head".

Eriksson stunned Saints fans on Sunday night when he dropped Beattie, the Premiership's leading scorer, from his squad to face Liechtenstein and Turkey in Euro 2004 qualifiers over the next eight days.

Beattie, who became the first man to hit 20 Premier League goals this season when he struck against Aston Villa on Saturday, was considered a near certainty for inclusion due to his superb form and good showing on his debut against Australia in February - England's last match.

Strachan said: "I have to say the decision has left me scratching my head. I think quizzical is the nicest thing I can say about it.

"I suppose every cloud has a sliver lining and at least this will give James a couple of weeks rest after a very hard season and that has to be a bonus.

"Against Villa he again showed his versatility and what a good striker he is by hitting the post with a header and then scoring with a tremendous shot.

"He's done so well for us this season."

Former England and Arsenal striker Alan Smith also said his heart goes out to Beattie.

Smith, who won 13 international caps, had words of comfort for the Saints star after Sven-Goran Eriksson admitted it was "a very difficult decision" to leave him out of the squad.

Smith, who praised Beattie in a recent edition of The Pink, insisted there was nothing more Beattie could have done to stay in the England squad.

He said: "James Beattie is one that will be very disappointed. He did okay, didn't do anything wrong and only got 45 minutes in the last international.

"If you look at it overall we are not very strong in the strikers department at the moment and watching Wayne Rooney's performance against Arsenal on Sunday was what probably changed Sven's mind."

Smith, who famously replaced Gary Lineker in Euro 1992 in Lineker's last international, is a big fan of Beattie - a player who many consider similar in style to the former Arsenal and Leicester hitman.

"I take a special interest in watching strikers and I've got a lot of time for Beattie," he said.

"He makes defenders' lives difficult and he just seems to be so confident at the moment.

"He is also very strong in the air, he has a good attitude and seems to never stop running and trying and never gives anyone a moment's peace.

"And when he gets the chance to finish he has done it really well. That really is all you can do."

Asked directly if it was a difficult choice to leave out Beattie in favour of Rooney, Eriksson said: "It is a very difficult decision when you have to leave players out.

"I took a bigger squad than I thought in the beginning, there are two more players.

"I took Wayne Rooney, he is a young one, he is important for now and the future.

"It was good to see him play 90 minutes against Arsenal. The second half was very, very good.

"He scored a nice goal and could have scored another goal. That was good for me.

"I would have no hesitation in putting him in. Maybe not from the beginning, but he is with us and he is the future for England. It is good for him to learn."

There was better news for Wayne Bridge, though, who was included in Eriksson's squad having missed the match with Australia through injury.

Strachan commented: "I'm pleased Bridgey is back in there.

"He's missed a few games through injury so he's a bit fresher and has something in reserve."

Bridge is a likely starter against Liechtenstein as Arsenal's Ashley Cole has been ruled out through injury.