But despite Gary Neville’s injury, Charlton right-back Luke Young still received a recall as England coach Sven Goran Eriksson wielded the axe after his team’s 4-1 second-half collapse against Denmark, when Johnson and James were two of the four half-time substitutes.

Darren Bent kept his place in the squad, while Andy Johnson was recalled as Alan Smith, who rejected a late call-up for the Denmark game to improve his match-fitness for Manchester United’s reserves, missed out.

James (aged 35) was the most high-profile absentee from the 25-man squad named by Eriksson, having initially lost his place in the side after an embarrassing blunder against Austria.

With Paul Robinson is entrenched as England’s first-choice keeper, Eriksson is keen to look at Kirkland, who is fit again and playing regularly on loan at West Brom, as well as Norwich’s Robert Green.

Eriksson said: “I have spoken to David James today and explained to him that, on this occasion, I think it’s best not to select him.

“He has always been extremely professional for me and I have assured him that the door is not closed, and that I will be monitoring his form at Manchester City very closely.

“Chris Kirkland is a brilliant prospect who has suffered badly with injuries, but he is now started playing regularly again, so I feel the time is right to have a good look at him.”

The England coach could even recall Nigel Martyn in future if there were major injury problems, although he will not ask the veteran Everton keeper to sit on the bench.

However, Eriksson’s frustration at his team’s collapse in Copenhagen did not stop there, with 21-year-old Johnson losing his place in the squad as well - even though first-choice right-back Neville is out with a groin injury.

Eriksson explained: “Right-back is an issue. I know Jamie Carragher and Phil Neville don’t play for their clubs but they can do the job. Luke Young is also doing very well at the moment.

He added: “If you look for errors in the second half against Denmark, you will have found 1,000 of them. There were errors all over the place.”

Warnock (aged 23) is the newest face in the squad, having been summoned due to Wayne Bridge’s continued absence through injury, with Carragher possibly being required in central defence or at right-back.

After all, Eriksson is already missing not only Neville, but also Sol Campbell and Ledley King through injury, while John Terry has become his latest doubt with a knee injury and Wes Brown was not selected.

Warnock, who spent periods on loan at Bradford and Coventry, has started six of Liverpool’s nine games so far this season in the Champions League and Premiership.

Eriksson said simply: “I am going to take Stephen Warnock. We don’t have that many left-backs and Wayne Bridge has still to come back.”

The England coach promoted Kieran Richardson, who impressed on the summer mini-tour of the United States, from the Under-21s rather than Stewart Downing, while Bent was preferred to Smith and Emile Heskey.

Smith has therefore effectively suffered not only from his inability to impress Eriksson in training ahead of the Denmark game, but also from Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to use him in midfield this season.

Eriksson, who had insisted Smith’s absence in Denmark would not count against him, at least offered some hope for the ex-Leeds striker.

The Swede continued: “Alan Smith is always in my thoughts. I know Ferguson is trying to make a holding midfielder and that won’t happen overnight.

“I hope for him and England he will be successful. You have to consider him a centre-forward but also a midfielder.”

Eriksson will check on the fitness of Terry, Steven Gerrard and Shaun Wright-Phillips when the squad join up on Tuesday, while he offered words of reassurance to Rio Ferdinand following reports that his place could be in doubt after the Denmark defeat.

He explained: “I spoke to Rio and told him that if I had something to tell him, I would tell him right into his face. The story about him being dropped was absolutely rubbish.

“We have never even discussed it. I was happy with the first-half performance of all the players.

“I was very unhappy with all the players’ second-half performance. It was the wrong attitude.”

James and Johnson have, indeed, found that to their cost. Eriksson may be blamed by some for being indecisive during matches, but few can accuse him of that in this squad selection.

Kieron Dyer, injured in Newcastle’s 2-0 home defeat to Manchester United today, was not included.

England's 25-man squad to face Wales and Northern Ireland in World Cup qualifiers:

Robinson (Tottenham), Green (Norwich), Kirkland (Liverpool); Young (Charlton), Warnock (Liverpool), P Neville (Everton), A Cole (Arsenal), Carragher (Liverpool), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Terry (Chelsea), Upson (Birmingham), Beckham (Real Madrid), Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), J Cole (Chelsea), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Jenas (Newcastle), Carrick (Tottenham), Richardson (Man Utd); Owen* (Real Madrid), Rooney (Man Utd), Defoe (Tottenham), A Johnson (Crystal Palace), Bent (Charlton).

*suspended for Wales game