3. Michael Carrick
The central midfielder has arguably enjoyed his best ever season in a Manchester United shirt and many had tipped him for a recall to the England squad. Nevertheless Englands central midfield positions have been hotly contested for a number of years now and the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker were all likely to be picked ahead of Carrick. Had he made the squad it would most likely have been at the expense of Gareth Barry, but the Manchester City player has been a regular in the England team for the last couple of years. Carrick has had a better season than James Milner but Barrys City team-mate benefits from being able to play in a variety of positions. Where Carrick has every right to feel aggrieved, though, is that he has not even made the list of standby players. Jordan Henderson is the central midfielder in that group, despite experiencing a distinctly average first season at Anfield.