Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has expressed his desire to see England's youngsters push on and take responsibility ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The 33-year-old, was controversially omitted from Roy Hodgson's England squad at Euro 2012 as the manager seemingly opted for John Terry instead, amid worries over squad harmony.

However, Ferdinand was still supporting the national side and revealed his disappointment at their quarter-final exit at the hands of Italy.

"Expectations for the country for the first time in years were low, so the pressure eased off the lads in terms of expecting to win the tournament," he told Sky Sports News.

"As a fan you want them to go as far as possible so it was unfortunate. The manager now has two years and hopefully we can improve but you can see positives in the likes of Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

"I think it is about young players who will be introduced and it will be good to see them go on and have responsibility in the team."

Ferdinand made his debut for England back in 1997, going on to make 81 appearances for them, scoring three goals.