da poker： England are currently blessed with more high quality strikers than they could ever have wished for. The in-form Danny Welbeck, Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge and Wayne Rooney will all be considered as guaranteed members of the EURO 2016 squad, but will Roy Hodgson opt for a wildcard?
da betway： Jamie Vardy will also be optimistic of his place in the squad, he will feel he deserves it after his record-breaking season. However, we have a new striking upstart taking the league by storm, Marcus Rashford. The calls for the Manchester United to break into the England squad have been laughed off by many, but he is not the only player demonstrating his quality at the moment. Jermain Defoe, the 33-year-old veteran, is 15 years older than the Man United starlet, but his recent form must have caught the eye of Hodgson.
Defoe is the third highest scoring Englishman in the league, just behind Vardy and Kane, and is likely to be the most influential player in the relegation battle. His experience is far less fashionable than the latest Red Devils flavour of the month, but Defoe must be considered as an option. The ex-Spurs man has proven that he is still a big game player. A hat-trick against Swansea and two goals in two Tyne-Wear derbies show that he can still cope with the most intense fixtures in the Premier League, while his striking instincts have not been dampened by a period in Toronto, nor has he lost that pin-point right-foot finishing that makes him such a threat. Defenders will, at whatever level, be wary of Defoe. He creeps off the shoulder of the centre-back, makes space for himself and seems to have a goalscoring instinct that only Kane can match. The ball always falls to Defoe, like it did with Michael Owen, and he could be the man for England to bring on when they are inevitably struggling to break a side down.
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However, Rashford’s youthful enthusiasm and fearless approach is likely to suit the dynamic of this England squad. His magical Europa League debut, brace against Arsenal and humiliation of Martin Demichelis in the Manchester Derby have brought the youngster to prominence and there are few who still doubt his talent. Rashford, in his brief career, has already made a name for himself as a big game player. He began with no pressure, but, with each appearance, that is increasing.
Only Anthony Martial (12) completed more dribbles than Rashford in the derby last Sunday, as he tormented international quality defenders and damaged Demichelis so brutally that the former Malaga man was substituted. He stretches defences and, in some ways, has a more complete game than Defoe had at his peak. He has answered the problems Louis van Gaal had in his forward line, he has created a dilemma for the Dutchman when Rooney returns and, and if he continues on this trajectory, he will be the subject of Hodgson’s press conferences more often than Arsene Wenger talks about why he hasn’t signed a certain player!
One of these two players at opposite ends of their careers could make it to the EUROs – injuries to Sturridge, Kane or Rooney would surely see one of Defoe or Rashford called up. Rashford’s inexperience may count against him, but his electric pace would surely be an asset in an England squad packed with athletic runners. Defoe’s ageing legs could hold back any claim for a final international tournament, whilst his experience might give Hodgson some peace of mind if Rooney cannot make it.
Managers often pick a ‘wildcard’ in a tournament squad, a player who appeared from nowhere, and any injury could open the door up to one of these two. Troy Deeney and Vardy may both think they have justified their places on the plane more than Rashford or Defoe and there is every chance Hodgson takes two of the four to accompany Kane, Welbeck, Sturridge and Rooney.
If Rashford continues to perform in the biggest games, and helps Manchester United to a top four spot, the media pressure may get too great for a manager who is afraid to oppose the rampant red-tops.
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