Chelsea captain John Terry retired from international football in 2012 after being found guilty of racial abuse. The 33 year old managed to win 78 caps and has featured in the last 2 World Cups, leading some to believe the veteran may return to the international stage once more.
Hodgson told BBC Sport: “The door isn’t open because he has retired from international football,
“When players retire, we move on.
“We moved on after our first qualification game, when John Terry limped off, and since that time we have chosen the players who are available, who have represented us well in my opinion, so we will continue with that.”
Terry was stripped of his England captaincy by the FA back in February 2012 following an incident with QPR’s Anton Ferdinand where he was found guilty of racial abuse. Terry was cleared in court in July but still felt the FA’s decision was “untenable”.
Since then, Terry’s defensive heroics for Chelsea alongside Gary Cahill have led to calls for an England return and last week, ex-Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson told BBC Sport: “All I would say to Roy Hodgson is that this could be your only stab at a World Cup as an England manager. So why would you not take the best English central defender? You forgive, but not necessarily forget with things like this.”
By Phil Wellbrook
