Stuart Pearce plays it safe . . . but Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard miss out

The Chelsea midfielder and Manchester United centre-half have been fixtures of the national side for more than a decade.

But they have been omitted from the 25-man party for next Wednesday's match at Wembley by Pearce, who was put in charge after Fabio Capello quit earlier this month when the Football Association decided to strip John Terry of the captaincy.

Terry will miss the friendly after having a knee operation yesterday but several other senior players have been left out, despite being fit, including Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson and Joleon Lescott.

Pearce said of the omissions: "Although those players won't play on Wednesday you shouldn't read anything beyond that. My mentality is what would I need to learn going into a major tournament, and what would the next manager need to learn about individuals. I know Frank, JT and other players are not in the squad but I don't think I'd learn anything watching them play, but I might learn about others."

Reports that Pearce would pick an experimental squad were unfounded as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry, Ashley Cole and Joe Hart have all been included.

Rooney's selection is intriguing given that he is suspended for the first two matches of Euro 2012 following his dismissal against Montenegro in October. In Rooney's absence, England need to explore their options for who will lead the line against France and Sweden at this summer's tournament.

There are only two uncapped players in the squad Sunderland striker Fraizer Campbell and Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley.

Campbell's call-up represents a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the 24-year-old, who has suffered so many injuries since he moved to Wearside from United in 2009.

Cleverley was selected for the squad to play Holland in August, a match which was postponed due to the London riots, and the subsequent Euro 2012 qualifiers with Bulgaria and Wales.

There was good news for Micah Richards today as he was called up, having been ignored by Capello during his four-year reign as England manager.However, with Kyle Walker and Glen Johnson also called up, Richards faces a battle to start the match.

Theo Walcott's inclusion in the squad will surprise many as his performances at Arsenal have been overshadowed by those of fellow winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was being tipped to earn a first call-up.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has made a spectacular start to his Arsenal career after joining the club from Southampton and will now remain with the Under-21 squad who face Belgium in a European qualifier on the same night as England's friendly with Holland.

He will be joined by Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, who was today handed his first call-up to the Under-21 squad.

The Football Association are expecting a bumper crowd for the match with Holland but some tickets are still available. For more details go to TheFA.com/Tickets