UNUSUALLY, there has been little debate over the 23-man England squad named by Roy Hodgson for the World Cup.

By and large, the consensus has been one of agreement that the England manager has made the correct selections based on form.

Apart from whether Ashley Cole should have been given the nod ahead of teenage star Luke Shaw, arguments over the choices have been few.

There are no glaring omissions nor wildcard picks. Everyone is there on merit.

With one exception - John Terry.

The Chelsea centre-half is a controversial figure and divides opinion but, in my view, remains the best Englishman in his position.

Alongside team-mate Gary Cahill, England's first choice in the heart of defence with Phil Jagielka, they are the best partnership in the Premier League.

Hodgson ruled out a return to the fold for Terry in February, saying "the door isn't open because he has retired from international football".

But that doesn't mean to say he couldn't have tried to change Terry's mind had he felt the 33-year-old defender would be an asset. Which he undoubtedly would be given the dearth of options in his position - error-prone Chris Smalling and currently injured Phil Jones among them.

The argument is that Terry's retirement is the reason for his longevity in the game. But he'd only need to play a handful of games.

As with former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, who called time on his international career while at the peak of his powers, England are poorer without Terry.