England World Cup squad: Roy Hodgson defends inclusion of Frank Lampard
The Chelsea player is the oldest member of his 23-man squad
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Your support makes all the difference.Roy Hodgson has defended the inclusion of Frank Lampard in his 23-man squad.
The Chelsea player, who will turn 36 during the tournament, is the oldest member of the England squad heading to Brazil.
Read more: Hodgson attempts to ease pressure on Barkley
Hodgson gives youth a chance
Hodgson defends selection of Lampard
For the most part, Hodgson has opted for a youthful squad, notably picking Luke Shaw over the experience of Ashley Cole.
However, he stuck with Lampard who has 103 caps for the Three Lions, explaining he still has much to offer.
"He is a very important part of our set-up still," said Hodgson.
"You can't compare players in terms of age but in terms of position and what they bring to the team. Frank has been the captain of the team during my two years and vice captain to Steven Gerrard."
Amid a young squad, it appears Hodgson values the experience Lampard can bring: "He still plays a very important role in his club side and his leadership qualities and ability as a player means he fully justifies his position."
Read more: How the squad was revealed
Axing Cole one of the 'hardest' decisions - Hodgson
Who were the most high-profile players to miss out?
ENGLAND SQUAD..
Goalkeepers
J Hart (Manchester City), B Foster (West Brom), F Forster (Celtic)
Defenders
G Johnson (Liverpool), P Jagielka (Everton), G Cahill (Chelsea), C Smalling (Manchester United), P Jones (Manchester United), L Baines (Everton), L Shaw (Southampton)
Midfielders
S Gerrard (Liverpool, capt), F Lampard (Chelsea), J Henderson (Liverpool), J
Milner (Manchester City), J Wilshere (Arsenal), R Barkley (Everton), A Lallana
(Southampton), R Sterling (Liverpool), A Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal)
Read more: Stones could still replace Jones if he fails to recover
Carrick tweets about World Cup heartbreak
Strikers
W Rooney (Manchester United), D Sturridge (Liverpool), D Welbeck (Manchester United), R Lambert (Southampton).
Standby-players
Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Andy Carroll (West Ham United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Toronto FC), Jon Flanagan (Liverpool), John Ruddy (Norwich City), John Stones (Everton)
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