England boss Roy Hodgson admits being unsure of strongest Three Lions side despite being months from Euro 2016
England manager Roy Hodgson has admitted that he does not know his strongest side despite only having a handful of matches remaining before next year’s European Championships in France.
Hodgson has confirmed that skipper Wayne Rooney will be rested for Friday's friendly clash with Spain in Alicante, but that he is set to return against France at Wembley on Tuesday, while in-form striker Jamie Vardy is an injury doubt.
The Three Lions have just four scheduled clashes before the tournament. After Spain and France, England face Germany and Holland in March before some as yet unconfirmed pre-Euro2016 warm-up matches.
“We are going to use the two games to look at various combinations, various groups of players playing together,” said Hodgson. “It will be good for me to see how various combinations are developing.
“Obviously, at the front we have Wayne, Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane and Ross Barkley, there are combinations there that interest me.
“And at the back, with the centre backs for example, there are very interesting combinations, so we’re likely to be making changes in that respect.”
Hodgson was at pains to point out that Rooney, who has scored just two Premier League goals this season, was being rested rather than dropped for tonight’s showdown.
“I can say now that Wayne is with me today because he is the captain of our team and the most important figure as a result, but he actually won’t start the game,” added Hodgson. “I’m telling you that because Wayne and I are very anxious that we are not trying to fool anyone or bamboozle them.
“It’s for the simple reason that we are looking for various combinations amongst that group of four players.”