The England manager Roy Hodgson has admitted that dropping Ashley Cole from the England squad to 2014 FIFA World Cup was one of his career’s hardest decision. Roy was agonised by the decision to take Luke Shaw and Leighton Baines ahead of the much experienced Ashley Cole.
Hodgson told TheFA.com “Among many difficult decisions I’ve had to make for my squad, not selecting Ashley was one of the hardest”. “He’s been an incredible competitor for England, to amass over a century of caps is a truly staggering achievement and he deserves enormous credit for the desire and brilliance which has shone through over the years he has represented his country. There are few players who can be considered among the very best in the world, but Ashley in his prime was the best left back without question.”
The decision to omit Ashley Cole has prompted him to announce his retirement from the international football via his twitter handle :”I got the call from Roy and agree England team should be about the young players. I think it best I retire from England team now”.
Hodgson will name his 23-man squad, along with up to seven stand-by players, at 2 pm on Monday in Luton. This is about the most difficult call in his long career in management.