England manager Roy Hodgson has said that Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick asked not be considered for the England squad at Euro 2012.

Hodgson told reporters after a training session this afternoon that he was informed upon his appointment that Carrick had made it clear that he wasn't interested in featuring in Poland and Ukraine.

He said: "The contacts with Michael were actually conducted before I took the job and it was made clear to me that he wasn't a player that wanted to be considered, so he wasn't a player that I did consider. At the time, with all the senior players we had at our disposal, it wasn't so important.

"Michael Carrick is a player that I have always admired and, who knows, in the future, if these type of injuries continue, he might have a very important part to play. But then I would have to go and speak to him, and I don't think that was appropriate before these European Championships."

England take on Belgium in their final preparation friendly on Saturday and you can follow all the action here on Sports Mole.