The England boss admits not to have spoken to the recalled defender, and claims that there were ‘no sinister reasons behind his selection, or non-selection, in the past’
Roy Hodgson admits that he has not spoken to Rio Ferdinand but is hopeful the Manchester United defender will accept his recall to the England squad.
The England manager told reporters: “I haven’t spoken to him, Michael Dawson, Scott Parker, any of them. I work, maybe naively, on that basis that Rio is keen to come back into the squad.
“When I meet up with him on Monday I’ll be speaking to him then, as well as all the players. I don’t ring up individuals beforehand. I might ring up people if I’m going to leave them out, but not those who I select.
The former Fulham boss does not foresee any issues with the defender’s call-up, maintaining that his past omission and imminent return to the squad were simply down to ‘football reasons’.
“There were no sinister reasons behind his [Ferdinand’s] selection, or non-selection, in the past. I’ve picked him on form and merit,” he continued.
“I’ve been following [Ferdinand] for quite a while now. I must’ve seen Manchester United play at least four or five times in the past four to five weeks.
“Obviously he is playing well, his team is playing extremely well, and I just think this is the right time to select him because he certainly deserves it on his current form and I’m hoping he will help us to win the two matches because that’s the most important thing for us.
“We need to move forward and at the moment, I am convinced that he is the man who will help us do that.”
Hodgson stressed that the Manchester United man can play an important role in helping England on their way to World Cup qualification, and should be expected to feature in the starting XI for the upcoming fixtures.
“Obviously a player with Rio’s calibre and also Rio’s age, you don’t bring them into the squad as backup players for a long-term future,” he explained.
“You bring them into the squad or the team because you think they’re going to make you better, or give you a better chance of winning. It wouldn’t take too much guesswork to say that now that he’s in the squad, he’s there to play, not just to make up the numbers.”
The 65-year-old has also opened the door to Ferdinand making the plane for Brazil next summer, should his side qualify.
“I’m sure he could [continue to play for England],” he insisted. “Like all players you select, you select them because you think they are capable of doing the job that you want them to do.
“In the past I have chosen other players but at the moment I think Rio is the right man to help us certainly in these games but also probably in the games ahead. Who knows what the future holds?
“I can’t make promises for the future. 2014 is a long way off, but if Rio Ferdinand is still playing like he is at the moment in 2014, he’s going to be a major candidate for a place in the squad [for the World Cup].”