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England boss Roy Hodgson claims he doesn't have big selection pool

Image: Roy Hodgson: Feels England need to find a way of nurturing young talent better

England coach Roy Hodgson has refuted claims that he has 200-plus players to select from for national duty.

Debate

Hodgson stated that '30 or 40' was clearly an exaggeration, but points to Tottenham Hotspur starlet Tom Carroll as a perfect example of how promising youngsters are being held back - with the 21-year-old midfielder included in England's U21 squad but yet to hold down a regular role at Spurs. He added: "I've worked at Fulham and West Brom and Tom would probably have played in both of those sides. But he doesn't play for Tottenham. Is that their fault? No, not really. "I'm not criticising the judgement of the coaches. These players are too good to let go but they are finding it hard to get games. "We have to find a way of making certain we don't dismiss these players and we don't lose them. As a nation, we must hope that their lack of games will not destroy their careers, because it could happen. "If you go two years where you're too good to let go, but not good enough to play every week, you might not be a good player at the end of it. That's where the debate should lie."

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