Ferdinand recalled to England squad
Reuters - Thursday 14 March 2013, 15:18
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was recalled to the England
squad by Roy Hodgson after an absence of nearly two years on Thursday
for this month's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro.
Ferdinand,
who made his debut for England 16 years ago and won the last of his 81
international caps in a friendly against Switzerland in June 2011, was
snubbed for the Euro 2012 finals in what Hodgson described then as a
"footballing decision".
Critics
suggested that the original reason Ferdinand was omitted from the Euro
2012 squad was because of tensions with former England skipper John
Terry, who was involved in a racism row with Ferdinand's brother Anton.
Terry's
subsequent retirement from international football however has left
England short of pedigree in the central defensive areas.
Hodgson's
men are second in Group H with six matches to play and face minnows San
Marino on March 22 before they take on pacesetters Montenegro on March
26.
The manager said he had
decided to bring back Ferdinand following a series of outstanding
performances for United who are closing in on their 20th Premier League
title.
"I've been following
him for quite a while now and must have seen United play four or five
times in the last five weeks," Hodgson told reporters at Wembley.
"He's
playing well, his team are doing extremely well and this is the moment
to select him because he deserves it on current form and hopefully he
can help us win the next two matches because that's the most important
thing.
"He is in the squad to
play and not just to make up the numbers. I know he was upset about
being left out in the past so I hope he is happy about being back, but I
have not spoken to him yet, I have not spoken to any of the players.
"Right
now Rio is the right man and if Rio is still playing in 2014 like he is
now he is going to be major candidate for the squad."
ROONEY BACKING
Hodgson
said despite speculation about Wayne Rooney's United future, after he
made a brief appearance as a substitute in the Champions League exit
against Real Madrid last week, he had always enjoyed working with the
striker.
"For me as England
manager I have never had any cause to doubt Wayne Rooney and I am
pleased to have the chance to work with him again during these upcoming
games," Hodgson said of the 27-year-old, who has scored 33 goals in 79
appearances.
Tottenham
Hotspur's central defender Michael Dawson was also included in the squad
while there was a return for former United keeper Ben Foster after his
recent decision to make himself available for his country again.
Scott
Parker of Spurs is also back after missing the first half of the season
due to injuries but England will be without Arsenal midfielder Jack
Wilshere, who was ruled out with an ankle injury on Wednesday.
"It's a blow, no question," Hodgson said of Wilshere, man-of-the-match in last month's 2-1 friendly win over Brazil.
"It's
disappointing for Jack as well. He'd enjoyed a good spell of playing
regularly after a long lay-off," added Hodgson of the 21-year-old, who
was sidelined for the whole of last season.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Ben Foster, Joe Hart, Fraser Forster.
Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker.
Midfielders:
Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron
Lennon, James Milner, Leon Osman, Scott Parker, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain,
Theo Walcott, Ashley Young.
Forwards:
Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Daniel Welbeck.