Lampard: Form should dictate my England future, not age

Frank Lampard believes whether he is still good enough and not his age should be the overriding factor in determining whether he will still be part of England’s plans for the 2014 World Cup.

Lampard will captain England in tonight’s friendly international with Italy in Berne after missing the Euro 2012 finals through injury.

He will be 36 by the time Roy Hodgson’s side participate in Brazil in two years — assuming they qualify.

But the Chelsea midfielder, who has won 90 caps for his country, feels he should be picked if his level of performance is still ahead of the young pretenders challenging for his spot.

Lampard, who last played for his country in the November clash with Spain, said: “I’ve said all along I wouldn’t want to be hanging around to try and win 100 caps for the wrong reasons. In an ideal world it would be great to be involved all the way through (to Brazil). If you are playing at a level that shows regardless of age you deserve to be in there, then you should be in there.

“I do want to play for my country. I’m pleased to be amongst a young squad here. I did feel old when I saw the ages on the list for this match.

“I don’t know whether I’ll be in the squad in two years. I don’t think anyone should know. The competition needs to be fierce and young players need to come through.

“The aim is to take the strongest squad to Brazil and I’ll do what I can to be in that squad.”