After facing backlash for his decision to choose Marcus Rashford for the England European Squad, England boss Hodgson has explained his decision.
Manchester United striker Rashford earned a place in the 26-man squad for the preparation games through what Hodgson described as his “body of work”, saying that “everyone is excited about his potential and development”. While the 18-year-old is currently unlikely to be among the 23 players who go to France, Hodgson told him that he would “make the cut if his performances deserve it.”
It has been said that Rashford will only be training with the International team in order to gain more confidence on a bigger stage, as well as get used to what can only be described as an exciting future for the player.
Hodgson went on to say “There is no reason if he does exceptionally well why he cannot knock someone off their perch,” he said of the previously uncapped teenager. “That will be harder than some people expect, because the people who’ve played over the past two years have done a very good job for us. They are not going to be easy to knock off their perch.”
“If you are fearful there is a danger you don’t select them,” Hodgson said. “If I was fearful I would have missed a few along the way like Dele Alli, Danny Rose or Jamie Vardy. When I think of Jamie Vardy, he is now the name on everyone’s lips, but he wasn’t that man last June when I selected him. He was a major surprise and many people thought it was a strange decision, because he had only just broken into the Leicester team.”
Hodgson has been seen to compare his England side to that of Leicester City, whose underdog story will be the talk of the footballing world for years to come. The England boss wants fans to know that success comes with team chemistry and belief, instead of big names from big clubs.
