Roy Hodgson says England have young players with the right technical qualities

Roy Hodgson believes England are beginning to see more technically gifted players coming through into the senior set-up.

In 12 games in charge, the Three Lions Manager has handed out 14 debuts, with the majority of those under the age of 23.

And as he looks to build a side that can qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, Hodgson is happy that he has the talent to improve on the performances at Euro 2012.

“We need pace in the modern game, we need technique, and I think in some of these young players coming through we've got these qualities," said Hodgson, who was speaking live on TalkSPORT on Thursday afternoon.

“Clubs, for many years, have had an academy system that has been working quite well, Liverpool have brought players through, Tottenham have, Arsenal have, Manchester United have.

“What it means at the moment, to some extent, you're a little bit reliant upon these 20 to 22-year-olds, who haven't played that many games.

“Sometimes you can face the criticism that you're selecting a player who may be only a bit-part player for his team," he added. 

“But I think we've got to come to terms with that, because the teams at the top with lots and lots of money to spend, when they need to sign a centre forward of real class, the chances are they are going to look abroad sometimes, rather than put their young 19-year-old in.”

While England came under some criticism for the style of football they played in Ukraine and Poland, which came only a month into Hodgson's tenure as boss, he says he knows where they need to improve.

Italy knocked England out of Euro 2012 in the quarter-finals and enjoyed over 60 percent of possession, but it still took a penalty shootout to separate the two sides.

Hodgson acknowledges that his side need to become better at retaining the ball for longer, but is more concerned about possession in the right areas.

"One of the things we thought coming back from the Euros, is that we need to improve the quality of our passing and the possession side of our game. But possession in the right sense," he said. 

"I'm a bit wary of possession statistics. Possession in your own half of the field doesn't really interest me. You can keep the ball all day long there.

"The possession that interests me is when you cross the half-way line and what you do with the ball in the final third.

"To do that, of course, you need some players who can manipulate the ball, deal with the ball, beat a player. I'm really quite pleased at the moment with the number of young players coming through who I think have got those qualities."

Hodgson added: "But at the same time, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that the defending side is important.

“We all fall in love with the attacking side, and I'm as guilty as any, but you can't get away from the fact that every time you keep a clean sheet you've got a very good chance of winning the game.”

Roy Hodgson's England meet Brazil at Wembley Stadium on 6 February and tickets will go on sale in December, so keep coming back here or follow @FA on Twitter to make sure you don't miss out...