Use new boy Drinkwater as inspiraton, England boss Hodgson advises Euro 2016 hopefuls
England boss Roy Hodgson insists the door remains open on Euro 2016 selection and has urged tournament hopefuls to use Danny Drinkwater as their inspiration after yesterday handing the Leicester midfielder his maiden senior international call-up.
Manchester United academy product Drinkwater was named in a 24-man squad for England’s friendlies against world champions Germany in Berlin a week on Saturday and then Holland at Wembley three days later.
Hodgson will name his squad for the summer’s European Championships in France on 12 May and Hodgson is adamant that there remains plenty of time for players to press their case for inclusion.
“At the moment we’re looking at a fairly large group, with this group of players, but who knows? There’s still five or six weeks left of the season. Let’s leave the door open,” said Hodgson.
“Players are emerging all the time. They are knocking on the door and sometimes they knock very, very heavily on the door.
“It’s not bashing through a plywood door to get in because the competition’s not strong. The competition is strong, so you have to knock very hard.
“In the case of [Danny] Rose, [Ryan] Bertrand, certainly Danny Drinkwater, and previously Jamie Vardy, Dele Alli and Eric Dier, these are people who have knocked so hard they deserve to be brought in.”
Forwards Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck return to the squad after recovering from injury, and form a five-strong strikeforce alongside Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Theo Walcott.