Hodgson to hand Rashford England debut
The 18-year-old made it into the Three Lions provisional 26-man squad for the Euro 2016 following a breakthrough season with Manchester United where he bagged eight goals in 18 appearances.
Daniel Sturridge is struggling with a calf strain and may not be available for the game against Australia which makes Hodgson’s choice of picking Rashford easy.
“If Sturridge isn’t fit tomorrow then I think you’ll all work out [Rashford] is going to start the game. I’m happy with that, I’m more than content he can handle the situation,” he told reporters.
“It doesn’t take a lot of detective work to work that out, with me wanting to rest [Jamie] Vardy and [Harry] Kane. There was no doubt that my original intention was to choose between Sturridge, Rashford and possibly one other.
“With those two out, it’s pretty obvious Rashford is going to play a serious part in the game.”
Austrialia Captain Mile Jedinak is wary of the threat of the youngster but says his team will cope fine as they are prepared for the match.
“Obviously I’ve played against him recently and he’s done fantastically well,” the Crystal Palace skipper told reporters.
“We’ve all seen his rapid rise in the last few months and it’s a credit to the boy that he’s been put in this situation and is handling himself really well.
“It’ll be another test for him tomorrow night, if he’s given the opportunity. But we’ve been preparing for this game as we would normally, without getting too caught up with individuals.”
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