Fabio Capello stuck with England’s old-guard as he trimmed his squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Switzerland.
The Italian finalised a 23-man squad for his first match as England coach after dropping fringe players Curtis Davies, Nicky Shorey, Michael Carrick, Stewart Downing and Glen Johnson from his provisional 30-man group.
Emile Heskey, the Wigan striker, was ruled out after suffering an injury during his team’s win over West Ham United on Saturday, while Tottenham Hotspur defender Ledley King is also sidelined through injury.
Those changes left a familiar looking group, with the only new face being Aston Villa’s young striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Capello insisted the players who didn’t make the cut would still be considered in future, giving David Beckham, who didn’t even make the provisional squad, hope that he could still win his 100th cap.
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“I want to be clear that the players who have not made the squad this time are still part of my plans,” Capello said.
“We will be monitoring the form of everyone very closely as we work towards the competitive matches, which start in September.
“It is a blow to lose Ledley King from the squad. He is a very good player who has impressed me a lot when I have seen him play. I am fully aware of his injury status after speaking with Juande Ramos on Friday.
“Emile Heskey’s injury is disappointing too, but we have to concentrate on the players who are in the squad.”
Capello is still to confirm his first England captain and admitted he didn’t want to announce his decision until Tuesday, giving him time to work with the players first.
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John Terry, the captain during Steve McClaren’s reign, is out through injury, so Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard looks favourite to be given the honour.
“I plan to name a captain for the Switzerland game on Tuesday, but I don’t expect to appoint a permanent captain until we start the [World Cup] qualifying games. I want to work closely with the players before deciding on this,” Capello said.
Capello won’t take charge of a competitive match until September when England’s 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign begins against Andorra. But the Italian is keen to start the build-up immediately.
“We have seven months to prepare for our first competitive match, but the work really starts now,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with them on the training ground. There is a lot of work to do but I am ready for the challenge.”
England’s 23-man squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Swizerland at Wembley:
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Goalkeepers: Scott Carson (Aston Villa), David James (Portsmouth), Chris Kirkland (Wigan)
Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) Joleon Lescott (Everton), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), David Bentley (Blackburn), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).