England World Cup squad: Profile of the 30 players selected by Roy Hodgson

Cole has announced his international retirement after being left out while Kyle Walker also missing through injury

Roy Hodgson has announced his England squad (Getty Images)

Roy Hodgson has announced his England squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with the biggest shock coming in the confirmation that Ashley Cole’s international career is over after he was overlooked for the squad with 18-year-old Luke Shaw preferred.

Cole announced on Sunday night that that he hadn’t been picked via his Twitter account, and felt it best that the time was right to retire from England duty. With the Chelsea defender unable to fulfil a role as a stand-by, Everton teenager John Stones has been called upon to remain available even though he has never been called up to an England squad previously.

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His Goodison Park team-mate Ross Barkley is also included after tremendous season for the Toffees, while Arsenal duo Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are included despite injury concerns in the latter stages of the season.

Another Southampton star in Rickie Lambert makes the cut as he is preferred to Andy Carroll, who is said to have missed a call from Hodgson after he was on a flight to Dubai.

Here, we take a closer look at the 23-man squad , plus the seven players on stand-by...

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