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Hodgson to name final squad on May 12

ESPN staff
April 30, 2014
Roy Hodgson wants his 23-man squad together for as long as possible © Getty Images
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Roy Hodgson has revealed that he will announce his England squad for the World Cup on May 12 - three weeks before the FIFA deadline.

Hodgson and the FA are required to hand FIFA a provisional list of 30 players by May 13, with the final squad of 23 due on June 2.

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Andros Townsend was injured in Tottenham's win at Stoke © Getty Images
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But Hodgson has decided to end the uncertainty for England's World Cup hopefuls as soon as possible by naming his first-choice squad and the names of those who could still be drafted in.

And the England manager and FA have agreed to make the announcement on May 12 - fewer than 24 hours after the conclusion of the Premier League season.

Hodgson's plan is to take the 23 to England's pre-tournament training camp in Portugal and for the final friendly with Peru at Wembley on May 30.

The squad will then fly to Miami for the final warm-up games with Ecuador and Honduras on June 4 and 7.

The early announcement allows Hodgson to make necessary changes if players are ruled out by injury, though Hodgson did reveal that a change in form will not affect his decision.

"I'm not going to make decisions in the last week or two of the season, which is a notoriously bad time to judge talent," Hodgson told Fifa.com.

"I don't judge players on their last-minute form. Nothing that happens in the last four games, in terms of form, is going to affect me.

"If anyone new on the scene has emerged I'm judging him over several months."

Players can be replaced in Hodgson's squad - provided they have a tournament-ending injury confirmed by FIFA medics - up to the day before England's first game against Italy in Manaus on June 14.

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