Former England defender Rio Ferdinand has criticised national coach Roy Hodgson for not calling on Frank Lampard during Saturday night's World Cup defeat to Italy.

The out-of-contract Chelsea midfielder, 36, was an unused substitute as England began their Group D campaign with a 2-1 loss in Manaus.

Liverpool pair Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson were preferred in the deep-lying central midfield roles and Arsenal's Jack Wilshere came on for the latter, while Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley were the other substitutes deployed by Hodgson.

During a debate with his Twitter followers about England's attacking options, Ferdinand championed his former England team-mate lampard’s inclusion in the team.

Lampard is Chelsea's all-time record scorer with 211 goals and has found the net 29 times in 105 internationals.