Arsenal legend Ian Wright wants Professional Footballers’ Association boss Gordon Taylor to do a lot more to help during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Premier League clubs have proposed wage cuts of around 30% for their players, but negotiations with the PFA have hit a stumbling block.
Members are concerned that the money made by their financial sacrifice will not be going to the right places, namely the NHS and public services.
The stalemate has seen the players receive widespread criticism, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock calling for them to take a cut.
And former England and Arsenal striker Wright thinks the PFA should be taking the flak for the current stand-off, not the Premier League players.
"It’s embarrassing," Wright told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.
"They should be speaking on the frontline - that’s what they are paid for. They are a union.
"The players are paying them to make these decisions. The players shouldn’t have to take these bullets."
Wright’s fellow pundit Chris Sutton added: "These are the times you need your union boss and once he again he has let them down. He has waffled.
"He is out of touch. You can see it in these moments. There is a crisis on in this country and you need a decisive head. It is a huge problem.
"This is what he is paid his vast wages for. He needs to help his members. He is setting this up so the public are turning against them."
- TEAMtalk media