Three players unlucky not to make England’s World Cup squad

England manager Roy Hodgson has named the men he will take with him to Brazil this summer and while there were not many surprises in the 23-man squad priced at 33/1 to win the World Cup some players can feel hard done by.

Hodgson’s squad is an exciting mix of youth, creativity and experience with the old heads of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney on board to guide the likes of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Ross Barkley and co.

But some  not on the plane could feel aggrieved and here we name three players that Roy might regret leaving behind.

Michael Carrick – Manchester United

Carrick has been put on standby and could yet make the plane given England’s history of picking up injuries before the start of a World Cup campaign.

But at this stage in his career the Manchester United man deserved to be in the squad proper, especially with some of the younger midfield players likely to only play bit part roles.

Age may have ruled Ashely Cole out of the squad but Frank Lampard’s inclusion shows this is not a blanket policy.

It’s nice to have flair players who can stamp their authority on a game but few, if any, of the squad can control the pace of a game quite like Carrick. His skills could be sorely missed if England are forced to grind out results in the latter stages of their matches.

Tom Cleverly – Manchester United

I know. I know! Many United fans have been clamouring for ‘TC23.com’ to be ousted from the Red Devils squad and football fans across the nation have often wondered what dirt Cleverly has on Hodgson to have been involved in so many squads in the past.

However, the United man has 13 caps to his name, most of which are Hodgson calls, and after playing seven games in the build up to this World Cup he can feel slightly aggrieved to have not made the plane.

The emergence of Adam Lallana is likely to have moved Cleverly down the pecking order so hopefully the Saints man will shine in South America.

Jermain Defoe – Toronto FC

Defoe reportedly sought assurances before moving to the MLS that playing in the US would not affect his international chances.

And after smashing three goals in his first two starts Stateside the former Spurs man was probably quietly confident about getting the nod.

Hodgson has clearly gone for ‘the different option’ in Rickie Lambert but with Andy Carroll  – the more natural target man – overlooked you have to ask if Defoe would be a better option than the Southampton forward.

Who do you think would be more likely to grab a goal from the bench?

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