Ashley Cole has been described as one of the best players of the Premier League ever as he accepts being left out of England’s World Cup squad with good grace.
The Chelsea defender announced via his Twitter account that he had received the call from England boss Roy Hodgson confirming he would not be selected in his World Cup squad which will be announced on Monday.
The 33-year-old then announced that he felt it was the right decision to give the younger players the chance with Southampton’s Luke Shaw expected to be called up.
He also confirmed that he would be officially retiring from international football. Speaking on the BBC’s Match of the Day, pundit Alan Hansen described the former Arsenal player as one of the best players to have ever played in the Premier League. Cole is out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season and has been linked with a move abroad as well as to Liverpool and Manchester City.
During his Premier League career he has won three Premier League titles, seven FA Cup’s and a League Cup with Arsenal and Chelsea.
He also has 107 caps and is his country’s most capped left-back.