England manager Roy Hodgson has stated that he is extremely happy with the performances of his place in the recent friendly match against Peru. A couple of players like Phil Jones had to be withdrawn from the matchday squad, but they are expected to be part of the squad that flies to World Cup 2014. The Manchester United defender suffered a slight injury, but Hodgson’s assumption is that the problem will not be serious. Another player suffering from a problem is Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who felt a slight strain in his calf.

On the pitch, it was more positive news for the national team as they managed a 3-0 win over Peru. After the back-to-back defeats against Chile and Germany in a couple of friendlies back in November, England have returned to form with two consecutive wins over Denmark and Peru. They have also not conceded any goals in the last two matches, which will be a positive feeling for the national team. Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring for England at the new Wembley in the 32nd minute. Chelsea defender Gary Cahill and Everton defender Phil Jagielka scored between five minutes of each other to give England a resounding win in the second half.

“They could have played tonight but we thought it would be better for them to do an extra day’s training. The most important thing for us was to come through it unscathed, injury-wise. It was a wonderful send-off to the World Cup by a quite incredible crowd. We had to be patient but we were dominant throughout. It is the perfect end to a perfect two weeks,” said Hodgson after the win over Peru. The team will be taking on Ecuador and Honduras in the final two friendly matches before the tournament opening match against Italy.

England manager Roy Hodgson is widely expected to leave out Ashley Cole from England’s squad. The Chelsea defender also announced his retirement from international football after the final Premier league game of the season. England will be taking on the likes of Italy and Uruguay in the group stages of the World Cup 2014. Despite the proposed tough group matches, Hodgson is expected to take a young squad with him. A number of players like Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw are expected to be included in the squad. These players have little international – let alone major tournament – experience.

Cole, on the other hand, is one of the most experienced players at international level after having amassed more than 100 caps for the national team. He is the record appearance holder for a left back, while many think that he is the world’s best in this position right now. The 33-year-old, though, has featured very rarely in the second half of the season for Chelsea. Injuries and suspensions, though, have meant that he has been playing regularly of late. Still, his future has been up in the air for some time since his contract with Chelsea comes to an end in the summer.

He is expected to leave the club in the summer and was seen in tears after the Norwich match.

“Among many difficult decisions I’ve had to make for my squad, not selecting Ashley was one of the hardest. 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,” said Hodgson.