Chelsea’s Lampard rules out England retirement
Frank Lampard, the Chelsea and England midfielder who was ruled out of Euro 2012 with a thigh injury, has said he has no intention of giving up playing for the national team, even if participating in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil may be beyond him, the Daily Mail has reported.
Lampard was originally named in manager Roy Hodgson’s 23-man squad to travel to Poland and Ukraine but was forced out of the party after picking up a thigh strain in training, with Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson called up in his place. The Mail notes there have been suggestions that the 33-year-old’s international career is over but Lampard confirmed in an interview before suffering the injury that he intended to play on for England past this summer’s competition. He did concede however that playing in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil may be too taxing a prospect.
He said: “I’m certainly not pulling out after the Euros. But Brazil at 36 would be some feat for me in that heat. It would be an amazing trip.” Qualifying for the next World Cup begins in early September, when England travel to Moldova. Hodgson’s side will also face Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland and San Marino as part of Group H.
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