Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has taken a swipe at England manager Roy Hodgson by claiming that he might not have picked Andrea Pirlo for Euro 2012 if he were English.
Ferdinand was left out of the Three Lions' 23-man squad for what Hodgson branded "footballing reasons".
However, it is widely thought that the 33-year-old was snubbed for the tournament as he was unable to settle his differences with England teammate John Terry after the Chelsea captain had been accused of racially abusing Ferdinand's brother Anton in October of last year.
At the time, Ferdinand's omission had been put down to his age, a factor which hasn't stopped Pirlo from starring in the tournament, and the United player thinks that the Italian might not be performing at the competition had Hodgson been his manager.
Ferdinand said: "If Pirlo was English would he have made the squad let alone been on the pitch?
"I don't know as his qualities may have been overlooked... not by just the current manager but maybe those before him too."
England were knocked out to Pirlo's Italy on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Matt Cotton
