England should not recall Rio Ferdinand - Peter Shilton

 

Rio Ferdinand should not be recalled to the national side because his "time has gone", according to former England captain Peter Shilton.

England centre-back contenders

  • Rio Ferdinand - caps 81
  • Joleon Lescott - caps 23
  • Phil Jagielka - caps 14
  • Gary Cahill - caps 10
  • Phil Jones - caps 5
  • Chris Smalling - caps 3
  • Ryan Shawcross - caps 0
  • Steven Caulker - caps 0
  • Steven Taylor - caps 0

England coach Roy Hodgson must weigh up his defensive options after John Terry's international retirement.

Shilton, England's most-capped player, said: "I don't feel Rio should come back. We have to look to the future."

He believes Chelsea's Gary Cahill and Manchester City's Joleon Lescott should be England's centre-backs.

Ferdinand's last international appearance came in June last year, when England drew 2-2 with Switzerland in a Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley.

The 33-year-old centre-half, who has 81 caps for his country, was not selected for the finals in Poland and Ukraine, with Hodgson citing "football reasons" for not picking the Manchester United centre-half.

Six weeks later, Terry went on trial accused of racially abusing Ferdinand's younger brother Anton during a Premier League match between QPR and Chelsea last October.

Terry, 31, was cleared at court of that charge, but this week quit international football the day before a Football Association hearing into the matter got under way, claiming his position with England had been made "untenable" as a result.

There had been speculation Terry's decision may prompt Ferdinand's return  to the England set-up, but Shilton thinks that would be a bad move.

The former goalkeeper, who made 1,005 league appearances in a career lasting 31 years until his retirement in 1997, said: "His time has gone. We have to look to the future and I would look to the youth.

Peter Shilton profile

  • Played for 11 clubs over a 31-year playing career, clocking up 1,005 league appearances
  • Best known for spells at Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Derby
  • Won two European Cups, the League title and League Cup during his time at Forest
  • Made his England debut in 1970. His final 125th cap came in the third-place play-off against Italy at the 1990 World Cup

"Cahill is someone I've always admired and I thought Lescott had an excellent Euros. At the moment, I'd go with those two."

Former England captain Terry won 78 caps during a nine-year international career.

He made his last appearance for his country earlier this month, when England beat Moldova 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

Shilton thinks Terry was one of the outstanding players at Euro 2012 and says his international retirement is "premature".

"Reading the press, I think Roy Hodgson feels the same way," said the 63-year-old. "Terry was recognised not only for his playing ability, but also for his leadership qualities."