By Chris Wright

And the England squad for the upcoming World Cup 2014 qualifiers against San Marino and Poland is as follows…

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Celtic), Joe Hart (Man City), John Ruddy (Norwich)

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Man City), Ryan Shawcross (Stoke), Kyle Walker (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Michael Carrick (Man Utd), Tom Cleverley (Man Utd), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Adam Johnson (Sunderland), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Man City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

Forwards: Andy Carroll (West Ham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd), Danny Welbeck (Man Utd)

So, no Rio – though absolutely no-one expected him to be there in the first place, especially anybody who was on the London Underground’s Jubilee Line last night.

As for the surprise inclusions, Ryan Shawcross is in as a direct replacement for John Terry and Fraser Forster is in, as well as impressing for Celtic for a season or so, largely by virtue of not being Rob Green or Ben Foster.

Good to see Aaron Lennon back in there as well for the first time since South Africa. Hopefully he’ll squeeze into the first XI ahead of James ‘Sweaty Chugger’ Milner and his functional-to-a-fault charms.

Any thoughts peeps?

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