Daniel Sturridge is in danger of missing Euro 2016, with teenage sensation Marcus Rashford ready to seize the opportunity to join England in France this summer.
Liverpool striker Sturridge has complained of a calf injury, making him a doubt for Friday’s friendly against Australia at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.
If Sturridge is ruled out, Manchester United’s 18-year-old Rashford will almost certainly start in a 90-minute audition for a place in manager Roy Hodgson’s final 23-man party.
Injury-prone Sturridge, 26, had a scan on Tuesday but this latest setback will be a major concern for Hodgson in the build-up to England’s opening Euro 2016 group game against Russia on June 11 in Marseille.
Until this week Sturridge had gone four months without an injury – his longest spell since June 2014 – and managed to end the domestic season as Liverpool’s leading scorer with 13 goals, including a brilliant effort in last week’s 3-1 Europa League final loss to Sevilla.
Sturridge had a scan on Tuesday at Manchester City’s training ground, where England have been based this week.
The extent of the injury is unclear but the problem was serious enough for him to sit out Wednesday’s training session.
England manager Roy Hodgson talks Marcus Rashford and it is believed he was told he will start on Friday
He has a terrible injury record when on international duty, having pulled up on four previous occasions – in May 2013, September 2013, November 2013 and September 2014.
Hodgson will be hugely disappointed by this latest setback, not least because Sturridge underlined his quality with a stunning goal in last week’s Europa League final.
That game meant he missed Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Turkey and therefore needed to be involved in the Australia game, if only as a substitute.
The FA confirmed that, contrary to what he said after the Turkey match, Hodgson plans to select an ‘experimental side’ against the Socceroos.
That almost certainly means a start for Rashford, who could now clinch a place in Hodgson’s final 23-man party for Euro 2016.
Hodgson is an admirer of the United youngster, who can count England assistant Gary Neville among his biggest fans.
Together, they see something special in a player who has so far scored eight goals in 18 matches for his club.
When Hodgson selected Rashford in his initial 26-man squad, the manager insisted he was not there to make up the numbers. As Hodgson said, he has the ability to ‘knock someone off their perch’.
A number of other players will be striving to do the same when they line up in Sunderland.
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