Alan Shearer: 'Back four is England's weakness'

Former England striker Alan Shearer has revealed that he is concerned about the Three Lions' defence going into the World Cup.

Only Glen Johnson among the seven defenders selected for the tournament has played in a major competition for England.

Shearer believes that Roy Hodgson's men could struggle against top-quality forwards like Luis Suarez when they face Uruguay in Brazil.

He told Mirror: "I always judge defences by thinking 'Would I worry about going into that back four?' And no, I wouldn't. I would believe I could have success.

"And when we play Uruguay, Luis Suarez will. The season he has had, he will do that against any defence. Mind you Gary Cahill played brilliantly against him for Chelsea at the end of the season, so he will have belief in his ability.

"But Suarez, without a doubt, will be looking forward to playing against our defence. And Cahill and John Terry are different to Cahill and Phil Jagielka. And it's a different scenario, in different circumstances. But I think our back four are the weakest part of our team."

England face Italy in their World Cup opener on June 14.