In a surprising turn of events, England coach Roy Hodgson includes 18 year old Marcus Rashford and striker Daniel Sturridge, with Leicester midfielder supremo Daniel Drinkwater not making the cut.
Roy Hodgson named his 23-man squad for the Euro 2016 picking strikers Marcus Rashford and Daniel Sturridge. After selecting a provisional 26 man squad a fortnight ago, the three players that missed out were Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph, Newcastle wide-man Andros Townsend and surprisingly, Leicester’s Daniel Drinkwater.
Marcus Rashford has had a breakout season with Manchester United, scoring on his debut. Recently, the charismatic attacker made his first appearance for the Three Lions and found the back of the net only three minutes into the game. At the young age of eighteen, Rashford seems to have the potential to go down in history as one of England’s prolific strikers, and the Euros may have just come at the right time for him.
Speaking of strikers, the inclusion of Daniel Sturridge in the final squad raised a number of eyebrows among the English faithful. A player who missed a majority of the 2015/16 season due to hip and calf issues will travel to France hoping to maintain his fitness throughout the course of the campaign.
Most English teams in the past have been let down by the performances of their midfielders in major tournaments. Many were satisfied after watching a resurgent Drinkwater play a key role in Leicester’s title claim, and were certain that he would be on the plane for the Euros. Winning a Man of the Match award on debut for the national side further elevated his chances of making the cut. Turns out, the man in charge had different plans, and believed that Jack Wilshere, who has injury concerns of his own, is a safer bet.
However, with the inclusion of five strikers, it seems fair to say that Wayne Rooney is likely to play in a deeper role, as he did during the fag end of this Premier League season. Eric Dier’s fine form has made him a favorite to partner the England captain in midfield, with Dele Alli playing in an advanced role.
Defensively, Hodgson selected only three centre-backs in John Stones, Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill, and with Nathaniel Clyne being the only right-back on paper. In dire situations, Dier is more than capable of filling in the void in any of the two positions, but his ideal position is certainly in the middle of the park.
England squad for Euro 2016
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Tom Heaton (Burnley)
Defenders: Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), John Stones (Everton), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton)
Midfielders: James Milner (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Liverpoo
l), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Ross Barkley (Everton), Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Ja
mie Vardy (Leicester City), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
