England manager Roy Hodgson has said that Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick asked not be considered for the England squad at Euro 2012.
Hodgson told reporters after a training session this afternoon that he was informed upon his appointment that Carrick had made it clear that he wasn't interested in featuring in Poland and Ukraine.
He said: "The contacts with Michael were actually conducted before I took the job and it was made clear to me that he wasn't a player that wanted to be considered, so he wasn't a player that I did consider. At the time, with all the senior players we had at our disposal, it wasn't so important.
"Michael Carrick is a player that I have always admired and, who knows, in the future, if these type of injuries continue, he might have a very important part to play. But then I would have to go and speak to him, and I don't think that was appropriate before these European Championships."
England take on Belgium in their final preparation friendly on Saturday and you can follow all the action here on Sports Mole.
Pascal Lemesre
