Five England replacements for John Terry

Phil Jagielka of Everton

Jagielka is by no means a spring chicken at the age of 30-years-old but he is a ready made replacement to come in and fill the void Terry will leave behind. Jagielka has already played for England twice in the current season with appearances against Ukraine and Italy. He is a regular in the Everton side and has a dozen other England appearances. He seems the sort of character who likes to lead from the front and take control which is important.

Phil Jones of Manchester United

Keep a close eye on this guy because he is being tipped as a future England captain. Jones is only a 20-year-old and has already made five appearances for England to back up his Under-19 and Under-21 caps. Jones is possibly the most versatile defender in the Premier League as he can play anywhere along the back four and regularly does for Manchester United. Currently injured but a key asset for England’s future.

Gary Cahill of Chelsea

Cahill has the benefit of having played alongside John Terry so he will have learned a lot since he signed for Chelsea from Bolton Wanderers. Cahill is more of an aggressive and attacking centre back which is the only thing which may hold him back in the pecking order for Terry’s England position. He is brilliant in the air and a regular when an England squad is called together. A different option for Roy Hodgson.

Joleon Lescott of Manchester City

Joleon Lescott is in a similar position to Jagielka in the respect that he’s 30-years-old and not getting any younger. However, he has more experience than most of the other central defenders in current England squads. He has played 23 times for his country with a goal at the last European Championship. It is this experience which makes him the most likely player to walk into the side in place of Terry.

Michael Dawson of Spurs

Michael Dawson has a long shot of playing regularly for his country now that Terry has retired. Dawson has some international experience having played four games and more importantly he is a technically astute defender. His positions are good and he reads the game as well as anyone. The only thing which will hold him back is his failure to get regular starts for Tottenham.

The pecking order among these five will be: Lescott, Jagielka, Jones (when fit), Cahill and Dawson.