IT IS east to get carried away by Saturday’s result in Germany. A young, energetic and fun England side beating the world champions in their backyard.

As Roy Hodgson rightfully pointed out after, the victory wasn’t down to slogging it out with grit and determination after England went 2-0 down and lost Jack Butland to an unfortunate injury.

No, Hodgson’s brave Lion cubs outplayed Germany and won 3-2 thanks to skill and flair.

It had fans and the media salivating. Could this youthful side actually win the Euros?

Well sorry to burst that bubble but they can’t. People may point to the Premier League and argue that if Leicester can upset the odds and go on to lift the trophy in May, why can’t England do the same in France?

Well for starters, lightning will not strike twice in the space of three months.

And it didn’t take long for Hodgson — and football journalists across the country — to ruin the good mood in the nation by saying that this team still had to feature Jack Wilshere and Wayne Rooney.

Wilshere has not kicked a ball this season. Even if he does come back to fitness before the end of the season for Arsenal, what does it say to the midfielder he replaces in the squad?

Sorry, but your hard work over the past nine months means nothing? Wilshere is a fine talent but given the form of Eric Dier, Danny Drinkwater, Deli Alli and to some degree Jordan Henderson, Wilshere should be watching the Euros from the comfort of his sofa.

And what about Mark Noble? He would have every right to be feel aggrieved if the Arsenal midfielder is selected ahead of him. Hodgson was out of order to compare him to Grant Holt.

The West Ham captain is not a one-season wonder like the former Norwich striker and to say he cannot pick players based on a few months of performances makes no sense given Alli, Drinkwater and Vardy are all included due to what they have shown since last August.

Noble is in the prime of his career, starting week-in week-out for a team knocking on the door of a Champions League place and can do a similar job to Henderson who has been dropped from the Liverpool side.

Noble may not have the experience at international level but given this is his 12th season as a West Ham regular, he deserved more respect from the England manager.

As for Rooney, it has been noted that before his injury the Manchester United striker was in sparkling form. But both Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy have had spectacular seasons and deserve to lead the line — although I would maintain that Vardy shouldn’t be representing his country given his racist outburst last summer.

Rooney may struggle to make the final squad and that is not a disaster. If he returns from this injury and fails to make an impact for Louis van Gaal, his place should not be guaranteed if Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck end the season in form.

Rooney may be captain but there comes a time when form has to mean something to England if they are to perform on the big stage.

Too often has the national side rushed back a player from injury — David Beckham in 2002 springs to mind — or ignored a form player for an established starter, Robert Green being picked ahead of Joe Hart in 2010.

Hodgson will take five strikers to France. Kane and Vardy are all but guaranteed to be on the plane, as are a fit Welbeck and Sturridge. Rooney being the fifth and final striker is fine as long as he isn’t promised to start the opening match.

Those journalists who say he deserves more respect are the same ones writing that he shouldn’t be starting ahead of Kane. It is OK to leave a big player at home, especially one who hasn’t lit up a major tournament in over a decade, Euro 2004.

Only a few weeks back articles were being written that his place could be in jeopardy from his teammate Marcus Rashford. Now all of a sudden we must make way for captain fantastic just because he will be fit? I’m sorry but it is that kind of attitude which has prevented England from lifting a trophy since 1966.

Rooney and Wilshere are not Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Heck, they aren’t even Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale. Wales are a completely different side without those two but England showed over the weekend that they are more than capable of beating teams without Rooney and Wilshere. In fact, they showed they can qualify for the Euros without Wilshere entirely.

I get that Hodgson is a loyal manager and it should be applauded but at times he needs to be more ruthless. Theo Walcott should not have been selected for the Germany and Netherlands friendlies.

The Arsenal winger has been poor for his club the past few months and yet was rewarded with a call-up to the squad. Like Noble, Marc Albrighton would have been watching on Saturday and asking: “What do I have to do to be noticed?”

Albrighton may not grab the headlines like his Leicester teammates Drinkwater and Vardy have but if Walcott deserves to be in this England side then he certainly does.

But even if Hodgson leaves out the players who have been debated over the past few days and takes 23 players who are fully fit and raring to go, when it comes down to it they are still a few levels short of a world-class team.

Had Saturday meant anything to Germany, they wouldn’t have let slip a two-goal lead.

Fabio Capello oversaw a 2-1 victory over the Germans in a 2008 friendly but two years later, when it actually mattered, England were humiliated in Bloemfontein.

England have a habit of winning meaningless friendlies against the bigger nations but failing to produce under the bright lights.

France, Spain, Germany and Italy are all considered favourites ahead of the Three Lions and rightfully so.

They have shown over the past few decades that when it comes to tournament football, they are not to be messed with.

This England side may be more fearless than the “Golden Generation” of the early 2000s but their youth and inexperience at major tournaments is a blessing and a curse.

If they are to stand any chance this summer, Hodgson must first put his loyalties aside and select the most in-form players.

He cannot carry players. We have seen in the past what happens when players at 70 per cent are asked to produce the goods on the world stage — It ends in disaster and it would be a shame for this England side to not learn from the mistakes of their predecessors.

This team has the potential to do great things in the future and while France may be a tournament too soon, Hodgson deserves to give them the best possible chance of success in the summer.