Rio Ferdinand retires

The Manchester United defender has acted early to rule out the possibility of being named in Hodgson’s squad after a damaging incident in March that saw Ferdinand reject an international recall for the World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro.

Ferdinand informed the�England�manager of his decision to call time on his 81-cap international career, having lifted the Premier League title for the sixth time on Sunday.

He was the youngest ever defender to play for England when he made his debut against Cameroon at Wembley in 1997 and he went on to represent England at three World Cups.

Ferdinand said: “After a great deal of thought, I have decided the time is right for me to retire from international football.

“At the age of 34, I feel it is right for me to stand aside and let the younger players come through, which allows me to concentrate on my club career.