Recalled Ferdinand will start qualifiers – Hodgson

The Three Lions chief performed a dramatic U-turn by bringing the 34-year-old former Leeds United defender back into the international fold.

Hodgson had previously cited “footballing reasons” as to why Ferdinand had not featured during his reign, but the player’s starring role for Manchester United this season – together with Phil Jagielka’s ankle injury and concerns over the form of Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill – prompted a change of heart.

Ferdinand now seems set to face both San Marino a week tonight and Montenegro the following Tuesday in vital World Cup qualifiers as England look to step up their attempt to reach next year’s finals in Brazil.

Hodgson said: “A player of Rio’s calibre and Rio’s age, you don’t bring them into a squad as back-ups. You bring them into the squad or the team because you want them to make the team better, to give you a better chance of winning.

“So it wouldn’t take too much guesswork to work out that he is in the squad in order to play rather than to make up the numbers.

“At the moment, he (Ferdinand) is in a rich vein of form. For me, it was a no-brainer. We need a good centre-half, he is a good centre-half and he is playing well. So, I have selected him.

“It’s no more complicated than that. There are no sinister reasons behind the selection or his lack of selection in the past.”

Asked if two strong performances in this month’s qualifiers would leave Ferdinand in with a good chance of playing in a fourth World Cup for England, Hodgson replied: “Who knows what the 
future holds?

“I can’t give guarantees about the future – 2014 is a long way off. But if Rio Ferdinand is still playing the way he is at the moment in 2014, he is going to be a major candidate for a place in the squad.”

Ferdinand won the last of his 81 caps against Switzerland at Wembley in June 2011 in a Euro 2012 qualifier.

After being left out following Hodgson’s appointment last May, the veteran defender made it plain he still hoped to win a recall. Ferdinand also made it clear he would never call time voluntarily on his international career.

That perseverance has now paid off, though there could still be bridges to build among the England squad with Ferdinand and Ashley Cole having clashed in the wake of the John Terry race row that involved the Manchester United defender’s brother, Anton.

Ferdinand endorsed a tweet which referred to Cole, who had backed Chelsea team-mate Terry in the row, as a ‘choc ice’, a phrase understood to imply someone who is black on the outside but white on the inside.

Hodgson, however, believes the pair can resurrect a defensive partnership for their country.

He said: “They are very good friends from what I understand, but we are talking about a football team here, not purely individuals.

“I would expect the pair of them to do their jobs for England, for Ashley to play as well as he can at left-back and for Rio to do his job at centre-back.

“I don’t envisage any problems.

“If there are any I will have to deal with them, but I hope that the long-term friendship will re-emerge and any unfortunate incidents along the way will be quickly forgotten.”

Hodgson’s 26-man squad for the qualifiers in San Marino and Montenegro also included one player who has performed his own U-turn to return to the international fold.

Ben Foster last played for England in November 2010 before taking a sabbatical with chronic back problems.

However, after this season returning to the form he had once shown at Watford to mark him out as a potential international goalkeeper, Foster has once again made himself available and will be understudy to Joe Hart.

Hodgson said: “We are pleased we have two excellent goalkeepers. Ben is playing very well for his club at the moment and it is good that he has decided after a long absence that he wants to play again.”

The news was not so good regarding Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who has been ruled out for three weeks with an ankle injury.

“It’s disappointing for Jack,” said Hodgson. “He had enjoyed a good spell of playing regularly after such a long lay-off. He did so well in a cameo appearance against Sweden and then against Brazil he was man of the match.

“So to find we can’t use him again is a major blow – but we still have a strong squad.”

England go into the San Marino trip sitting second in Group H, two points behind Montenegro, who they then face four days later.

However, the Three Lions chief said: “I still don’t think these games are necessarily decisive.

“But it is important to go and get a result there (in Montenegro). We go there to win, as if we can do that then it will help our cause and make the autumn (when England’s qualifying campaign climaxes with three of the last four games at home).”

England’s squad for dual task

England squad for World Cup qualifiers against San Marino on March 22 and Montenegro on March 26: Foster (West Brom), Hart (Manchester City), Forster (Celtic); Baines (Everton), Cahill (Chelsea), Cole (Chelsea), Dawson (Tottenham), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Johnson (Liverpool), Smalling (Manchester United), Walker (Tottenham); Carrick (Manchester United), Cleverley (Manchester United), Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Milner (Manchester City), Osman (Everton), Parker (Tottenham), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Walcott (Arsenal), Young (Manchester United); Defoe (Tottenham), Rooney (Manchester United), Sturridge (Liverpool), Welbeck (Manchester United).