Should these West Ham and Arsenal stars be Euro 2016 contenders?

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Aaron Cresswell- West Ham

Maybe the most straightforward of all the players on the list. As it stands, Danny Rose will probably be England’s starting left-back for the European championships. The spot for his backup, however is very much up for grabs.

Since his transfer from Ipswich, Cresswell has been West Ham’s starting left-back,and moreover, has been of the best in his position. A classic modern era full-back, Cresswell excels when going forward. He has good space and is excellent at crossing. Furthermore, he is also a dangerous free kick taker.

Such has been Cresswell’s superb performances, that even Sky Sports pundit; Matt Le Tissier, called for his inclusion in the England squad for the recent friendlies. The Saints legend put it down to Cresswell playing for a relatively “smaller club”. Regardless of his club’s stature, there have been no better English fullbacks at Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea.

Furthermore, due to Luke Shaw’s injury, and Kieran Gibbs barely ever playing, Cresswell’s competition has been cut, and in turn, so has Hodgson’s list of replacements. At the moment, Ryan Bertrand is also a contender, but I think Cresswell should get the second spot.

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Marcus Rashford – Manchester United

A product of Manchester United’s under-21 team, Marcus Rashford has taken the Premier League by storm since his debut in the Europa League.

Since he made his debut for Manchester United, Rashford has scored seven goals in 13 appearances, which lead to Roy Hodgson regarding him as a possible player for his team, “I would neither rule him in or rule him out” said the England manager. At only 18 years old, the striker is incredibly mature and composed. Unlike many his age, he makes intelligent runs, has a poacher’s instinct, and knows where the goal is at all times.

Crucially, Rashford has scored key goals against Arsenal, Manchester City and West Ham in the FA Cup. Having said that, the young forward has only progressed to the England under-20s internationally. England already possess a glut of strikers that can be called into the squad, including Daniel Sturridge, Wayne Rooney, Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane. It would be unlikely that the young forward would gain much match experience, and Hodgson would be wise to avoid something similar to what happened to Theo Walcott in the 2006 World Cup.

While Rashford has been outstanding, it would be too much too soon, but more so that England have many strikers already.