Saracens coach Alex Sanderson has launched a staunch defence of Chris Ashton, insisting he is “surprised” at recent criticism and “fails to see what the England coaches are looking at” if they planned to drop the Sarries speed merchant.

Sanderson was speaking after the Men in Black’s 24-21 LV= Cup win over London Wasps last Friday and between England’s wins over Australia and Argentina – both matches which Ashton started.

Stuart Lancaster reportedly warned Ashton that he needed to improve if he wanted to keep his place ahead of Christian Wade and Marland Yarde, who were due to start against Argentina but failed fitness tests.

The 26-year-old responded by scoring a try in the 31-12 win over the Pumas but that was only his third try in 19 test matches.

Ashton's latest international woes will vex Saracens who have worked hard to rebuild the winger’s confidence in recent months and Sanderson, who was deputising for director of rugby Mark McCall on Friday, hit back hard at the winger’s critics.

“I'm really, really surprised at the criticism,” Sanderson said. “We know how hard Chris has worked and how much he's progressed in certain areas which he's been criticised for in recent seasons.

“For example his defence has come on leaps and bounds and he's really one of the fittest guys in our squad - he's been brilliant for us.

“But maybe they (England’s coaches) are seeing something we don't.

“I can't speak for Stuart Lancaster or Andy Farrell even though I know them quite well - they obviously want something else in their wingers aside to what we value.

“I fail to see what they're looking at because in terms of his work rate and his effort, Chris is second to none.”

Ashton has been excellent for Saracens this campaign, displaying the kind of form that led to him once being hailed as one of the most dangerous players in the world.

He has scored three tries for the Men in Black but more than that, Ashton has been sharp, creative and often a provider for those around him.

Sanderson acknowledged Wade and Yarde are attractive options for the England coaching staff but argued some aspects of Ashton’s game are unmatched by any winger in the world.

“You can look at people's faults or you can look at the positives,” Sanderson continued.

“At Saracens, we like to look at the look at the positives and Chris has a few positives that no other winger has got in the world in terms of his work rate, getting round the field and how he always pops up on half-breaks.

“Christian Wade obviously has got his own talents in respect of beating people and scoring tries - maybe they're looking for a balance with Yarde, I honestly couldn't say what they're thinking.

“I couldn't couldn't say what they're thinking but we've been very happy with Chris, very happy.”

Fellow Sarries winger James Short, who has seen his first-team opportunities limited since Ashton’s arrival, also defended his team-mate.

“Ashy isn’t doing that badly,” he said. “If you look at it from a rugby player’s point of view he’s doing pretty well.

“He’s never horrendously bad – if people are saying he’s playing badly I don’t think he is.

“It’s very rare he has a bad game for Saracens but it might be slightly different at England – they might demand different things to what we demand here.”

Ashton is expected to be handed a third successive start for the third and final autumn test against New Zealand on Saturday as Wade is unlikely to recover from a hamstring injury.

The former Wigan man is likely to be joined in the starting line-up (named today) by Sarries teammates Owen Farrell, Joel Tomkins and Billy Vunipola, while Alex Goode is also in contention.

Tomkins started his second match against Argentina after making his international debut against Australia.

Sanderson believes Tomkins deserves his opportunity at international level but is in no doubt that the former rugby league player will improve before the World Cup in 2015.

“He's a big man, he runs fast and he's physical,” Sanderson said. “I think there's more to come from Joel.

“I can understand why they’ve put him in there but we still don’t think he’s the finished article.

“There are elements of his game that he’s progressed in massively but he can improve like on his contact skills and he knows that as well.

“But England are looking to the future, they're looking to the World Cup two or three years down the line and he could be a force if he gets it right."