Rio Ferdinand has expressed his belief that deficiencies in several areas were behind England's World Cup exit at the group stage.

The Three Lions crashed out of the tournament following defeats in their opening two games to Italy and Uruguay.

Ferdinand believes that the main reasons for Roy Hodgson's side's downfall in Brazil was due to being poor at the back and a lack of leadership on the field.

He wrote in his column for the Daily Mail: "There is no point in shying away from identifying several specific areas where England got it wrong or were simply not up to the job.

"At the back, England were below par, incapable of handling clinical finishers. There are problems in midfield. There's a lack of confidence all around the pitch. On-pitch leaders are lacking."

Ferdinand made 81 appearances for England in a 14-year international career.