Okay, so England might have been eliminated in the quarter finals, on penalties (again) but cheer up, because we have a terrific young team ready to take Brazil by storm at the 2014 World Cup. It sounds a long way off but the first qualifier for the tournament is on Friday September 7 in Moldova with Ukraine coming to Wembley just four days later. With the likes of Steven Gerrard (32), Scott Parker (31), Gareth Barry (31) John Terry (31) and Frank Lampard (34) surely retiring from International football over the next two years, here's a look at what our 23 man World Cup Squad could look like, and some of the players we should test out in the qualifiers.
Goalkeepers
Joe Hart The 25 year old Manchester City stop-shotter looks certain to guard the sticks for England for many more years to come. He enjoyed a terrific season at the Etihad last season, winning his first ever Barclay's Premier League, adding to the F.A Cup he won the season before. He is well known for his commanding presence, screaming at his defenders to let them know where he wants them. He will be 27 by the time the World Cup comes around, and by then he will have so much more experience (and possibly silverware) under his belt. He could well be the next Peter Shilton. John Ruddy The Norwich City goalkeeper was initially called up for Roy Hodgson's 23 man Euro squad before breaking his finger and pulling out of the competition. I expect him to be pushing Hart for the number 1 jersey in two years though. Like Hart, he too will be 27 by the time the World Cup comes around, and with Robert Green probably having retired by then, there are very few alternatives to keep him from making up for missing out this time. Jack Butland At just 19 years old, Jack Butland has a very promising career ahead of him. He has already made the 23 man squad for Euro 2012, and though he has yet to be capped, he certainly will in the near future. He was included in the squad for the finals of the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and kept clean sheets in all three group games. Click "next" below to read part 2...