Yesterday’s 26-man England squad gave supporters and fans a shock yesterday, with the surprise inclusion of teenage sensation Marcus Rashford.

His call up to the senior squad ahead of the Euros caps a spectacular three months for the uncapped 18-year-old, who scored a brace on his debut back in February.

Rashford followed that up with another brace against Arsenal a few days later and his seven goals in 16 appearances has been rewarded with the chance to represent England in France this summer, something that manager Roy Hodgson says is a very real possibility.

“He’s one of the contenders, of course. There’s no reason, if he does exceptionally well, why he can’t knock someone off their perch,” said Hodgson.

“Marcus taking on that important role of centre-forward at Manchester United at quite a difficult period of time in the year hasn’t gone unnoticed from our side. We’re keen to see what he can do.

“In the week that we work with him and possibly a game or part of a game that he plays, we might start thinking ‘we really need this fella, he is actually better than some of the others we were contemplating ahead of him certainly a few months ago’.

“Some people come from nowhere a bit quicker than others and his has been more akin to a Wayne Rooney or Raheem Sterling rise.”

Rashford’s name on the teamsheet is likely to be a direct result of the year-ending injury to Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck, with Newcastle’s Andros Townsend also being named in the squad due to Welbeck’s absence.

Theo Walcott misses out after a poor season at Ashburton Grove, though Manchester City’s Fabian Delph made the list after a disappointing debut season at Eastlands.

With plenty of debate in the build-up to the squad announcement focused on Jack Wilshere and Wayne Rooney, it was no surprise to see Hodgson select the pair given his alleged favouritism towards two of England’s most technically-gifted players.

Rooney in particular was the topic on plenty of back pages over the past few months, with Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane the most likely to start up front against Russia on June 11, leaving fans and pundits asking whether or not the England captain should start.

“I don’t have to decide that yet,” offered Hodgson.

“Rooney has done a fantastic job for England — 109 games, 51 goals, that’s one terrific record and there aren’t many players in Europe, at international level, who reach that level of success.

“He’s been very important to us in the qualifiers and we’re very grateful for the goals he’s scored and the work he’s done for us.

“But in terms of selecting a team for Russia, I’ve got three matches before that. Who knows what will happen in between?”