[Jack Bauer]

(IMG:http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/competitions/General/01/78/85/60/1788560_w2.jpg)

Italian giants Milan have confirmed that Thiago Silva and Alexandre Pato are on the shortlist to make the Brazil squad for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Boss Mano Menezes has selected a 23-man party which will have to be cut down to 18 ahead of the tournament itself.

Defender Thiago Silva has been included as one of his three permitted over-23 players, while Pato is still young enough to make the natural cut.

The squad will play a series of friendly matches over the next two weeks against Denmark, America and Mexico.

Brazil will face Egypt, Belarus and New Zealand at the London games as they aim for Olympic Gold.

[kurtsimonw]

No players that played at the Euros were going to be selected, so this is a pretty decent squad considering.

J Allen (Swansea), C Bellamy (Liverpool), R Bertrand (Chelsea), J Butland (Birmingham), S Caulker (Tottenham), T Cleverley (Manchester United), J Cork (Southampton), C Dawson (West Brom), R Giggs (Manchester United), A Ramsey (Arsenal), M Richards (Manchester City), D Rose (Tottenham), S Sinclair (Swansea), M Sordell (Bolton), J Steele (Middlesbrough), D Sturridge (Chelsea), N Taylor (Swansea), J Tomkins (West Ham)

---------------- Butland
Richards - Tomkins - Caulker - Taylor
---- Cleverley - Ramsey - Giggs
--- Sturridge - Bellamy - Sinclair

Front 6 is pretty good considering. Shame there's no Scottish or N.Irish representation, Bannan would've been a good selection in my opinion, not too sure of the N.Irish team though. Bale getting injured will hurt too. Overrated, but he's more than good enough for an U23 tournement.