• Luke Shaw picked ahead of Ashley Cole
• Rickie Lambert gets the nod ahead of Andy Carroll
• Hodgson puts faith in young players like Ross Barkley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Raheem Sterling and Luke Shaw
• Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Jon Flanagan, Jermain Defoe, John Stones, Andy Carroll and John Ruddy all on stand-by list

Roy Hodgson has unveiled his 23-man squad to bid for World Cup glory when the Three Lions jet out to Brazil later this summer.

Hodgson confirmed he will be taking a side packed with young talent as England bid to end their 48-year wait for a second world title.

One notable absentee is Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick, less than two years after he was tempted out of international retirement by the England manager.

THe boss: Roy Hodgson has named his 23 man squad for the World Cup in Brazil

Star man: Wayne Rooney is one of the key strikers in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad

Carrick is a big-name casualty as Hodgson proved his determination to include young midfielders Ross Barkley, Jordan Henderson and Jack Wilshere in the 23-man squad.

Hodgson also revealed Everton youngster John Stones will come into the squad if Phil Jones' shoulder injury does not heal in time.

Ashley Cole and Jermain Defoe (with 162 caps between them) are the other most senior internationals jettisoned.
Rickie Lambert, who has scored 14 goals this season, gets the nod ahead of Andy Carroll.

Former Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe, who now plays for Toronto FC, is only good enough for a place on the standby list.

Carrick rejected the chance to be on the standby list for Euro 2012, but he has accepted the same position this time around.

No-go: Michael Carrick has missed out on a chance of being in the England midfield in Brazil

Carrick is joined in Hodgson's contingency planning by Tom Cleverley, who has not made the 23 despite starting nine consecutive games under Hodgson at the start of the 2012-13 season.

Hodgson has selected just four strikers for the tournament in Brazil, which kicks off on June 12.

Wayne Rooney will be the leading striker, with Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Lambert in support. Frank Lampard, 35, makes the cut, but otherwise there is a youthful look about England's midfield selection.

Ross Barkley, 20, has been selected, alongside Liverpool teenager Raheem Sterling.

Arsenal duo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere are in the 23 despite their recent injury concerns.

Young Lions: Raheem Sterling is one of several young players included in England's charge for Brazil

 
Different ball game: Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley played a round of golf after being named on England's stand-by list for the World Cup

Adam Lallana, who has three caps, has been rewarded for a fine year with Southampton by being included.

James Milner also is favoured ahead of the likes of Adam Johnson and Ashley Young - neither of whom made the squad or standby list.

There were no surprises in defence. Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were Hodgson's four centre-halves.

Leighton Baines goes to Brazil as first-choice left-back, with Shaw in reserve. Glen Johnson goes to the tournament as England's only recognised right-back.

Hodgson selected Fraser Forster as third goalkeeper behind Joe Hart and Ben Foster. There was a place on the standby list for Everton teenager John Stones, who only made his first Premier League start in January.

Impressed: Adam Lallana capped off a brilliant season by being named in England's squad for Brazil

Uncapped Liverpool right-back Jon Flanagan was also on the standby list. Those standby players will fly to Portugal with the squad next Monday for a week-long training camp.

Hodgson admitted the decision to leave out Cole was 'an unbelievably hard' call.

'Ashley is a player that I and the rest of my staff appreciate,' he said.

'He is a magnificent player and what he's done for England is second to none. Luke Shaw has had a wonderful season. He has captured headlines with his form and ability.

'One player has 107 caps and one has many caps to come. It was a hard job to ring Ashley and I can only be unbelievably grateful for the gracious way he accepted the decision.
'Circumstances will prove whether the decision to take the younger player was the right one or not.'

For Carrick, it is a miserable end to a disastrous season at Old Trafford and another unsatisfactory episode in a haphazard England career of 31 appearances in 13 years.

It began with a debut against Mexico in 2001 at the age of 19 and his last cap was as a starter against Poland in the final World Cup qualifier in October.

Back in action: Jack Wilshere has been named despite a lengthy spell out with injury

Golden chance: Rickie Lambert caps off a fantastic season for Southampton by beating Andy Carroll

There has been only one taste of action in a major tournament, when Sven Goran Eriksson selected him against Ecuador in Germany 2006.

Nine of his caps have been awarded by Hodgson, since he was lured out of retirement in 2012. Like Cole, his experience and reliability has proved valuable to England during the campaign for Brazil.

He played in the six of the qualifiers, but Hodgson has shown a glimpse of his ruthlessness by casting them both aside as he moves the team into the next phase.

Confusion reigned as Carrick was left out two years ago. Having officially retired from international football under Fabio Capello, Hodgson assumed that was that.

‘I was given to believe he didn’t want to be part of the England set-up,’ said Hodgson, but it turned out he did want to play and had unfinished business with England.

Young gun: Saints starlet Luke Shaw has been picked ahead of Ashley Cole

After a terrific 2011-12 season with his club, the United midfielder came back for the friendly against Italy in Switzerland, amid a national debate about how to value ball possession, which followed the exit in Kiev orchestrated by Italian pass-master Andrea Pirlo.

In the heat of a World Cup, which will start for England in the jungle city of Manaus, Carrick might have expected this to be the perfect moment for his calming qualities, but events at United have not helped.  Nor has the development of young midfield players.

A year ago, Carrick started the summer friendlies in the absence of Steven Gerrard against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley and Brazil in Rio, and deep midfield was one of the areas where Hodgson considered his options to be thin.

Wilshere was struggling for fitness – as he still is - and Barkley had yet to emerge as a force at Premier League level. Henderson, too, has progressed beyond expectations in the last 12 months.

World at his feet: Everton starlet Ross Barkley could be one of England's wild cards in Brazil

Without Carrick, however, there is no natural replacement for Gerrard as the midfield anchorman if the captain is lost to injury or suspension during the tournament.

Gareth Barry is another with the required defensive instinct, able to deputise in the holding role but he has never been recalled by Hodgson since he was injured in Norway, in a warm-up friendly against of Euro 2012.

Frank Lampard has played the holding role at times for Chelsea but has not made the conversion as completely as Gerrard.

The ever-versatile James Milner and Phil Jones could be adapted, but if there is a bare patch in the squad it is here.

It appears to have been boiled down to a straight choice between West Ham Academy graduates Lampard and Carrick to supply midfield experience; Carrick’s stability and ball retention versus Lampard’s goal knack and general good influence around the camp.

Not for the first time Carrick is England’s fall-guy.