It’s getting ever closer to Euro 2016, where France will host Europe’s top footballing nations for a summer spectacle celebrating the beautiful game.

It’s a tournament that gets the betting public excited about who will win the tournament and who will be the competitions top scorer. Punters will be desperate for the best odds and the chance to make a free bet.

But I don’t think anyone should be rushing out to put big money on Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford being part of Roy Hodgson’s final England squad.

The eighteen year old striker has been selected for Roy’s initial twenty-six man preliminary squad but three members of that pool will leave the party on the 31st of May.

I think Rashford will be one of those that doesn’t make the cut.

Not because he isn’t a superb talent because he obviously is. He has shown this season that age means very little and that sometimes inexperience can be an advantage in front of goal. Roy Hodgson has already stated that the forward has “enormous talent”.

I think Hodgson is smart to bring the youngster into his enlarged squad and get him used to the senior international set-up. Giving him his debut against Australia will give Marcus invaluable experience.

But the problem is that Roy has plenty of good options to choose from in the striking department.

Given that Hodgson has chosen to pick just seven defenders, it’s hard to think that he’d take five forwards.

So if he goes with four attackers; then one of Rashford, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy or Harry Kane will have to drop out.

Now Vardy and Kane have been sensational in the past twelve months and their great club form has followed them onto the international stage.

Spurs striker Kane has scored twenty goals plus in the last two seasons and is England’s best all round forward since Alan Shearer retired his three lions shirt in 2000.

Vardy is a player who will always work his socks off for the teams cause. He makes the runs that other attackers fail to do and that work-rate is a huge plus in this kind of competition. He has also picked up three goals in his first seven caps.

So those two will definitely go.

Captain Wayne Rooney is England’s all-time leading goalscorer and will have played in more high pressure games than the rest put together. He can also drop into a deeper role or play out wide if he has to. I really can’t see Roy being so ruthless as to drop his own skipper for this huge tournament especially to make room for a teenager.

Daniel Sturridge has had various injury issues over the past two years but he seems to have put all that behind him at the right time. His goal for Liverpool in the Europa League final against Sevilla shows that he’s probably England’s most natural finisher. Also proved recently that he can make an impact coming off of the bench.

I don’t doubt that Marcus Rashford’s time will come in an England jersey at a major international tournament, I just don’t see him going to France this time.

For once England have plenty of stellar striking options to choose from and don’t need to make that wildcard selection that they have had to do in the past!

So if I were a betting man, I’d say that Roy will go for the in-form talents and the ones that have a bit more experience in their lockers.

Obviously injuries may change all that, should one of the others pick up a knock before the deadline.

Posted on May 25th, 2016 by scott
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