Will Roy Hodgson’s gamble on this Manchester United teenager be worth it?

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It has been quite a few months for 18-year-old Marcus Rashford. As recently as February, he had still yet to make his debut for Manchester United, and but for an injury to Antony Martial just prior to kick-off in the Europa League round of 32 tie against FC Midtjylland, it is highly likely the world would have remained oblivious to the talents of the teenager.

Now, with all of four months of professional football behind him, Rashford has made such impression that he bolted his way into the England squad for the Euros as Roy Hodgson’s wild card option up front. But with four strikers already in the side and the Three Lions looking weak in certain areas, will the gamble to take the rookie striker pay off or will Roy be left red faced?

The first thing to consider is whether Rashford is good enough to be in the squad. Despite playing just 18 games for Manchester United, Rashford not only forced his way into the team but also became a vital cog in Louis van Gaal’s now defunct machine. He became so important that he started virtually every game of United’s push for the Champions League and their FA Cup final success over Crystal Palace, scoring eight goals in the process. To go from nowhere to leading the line in a team as expensively assembled as Manchester United shows an incredible level of talent.

Rashford’s burgeoning career took another huge step in the right direction after scoring just three minutes into his England debut against Australia last month with a brilliant near post volley after Raheem Sterling’s blocked cross. It was further evidence that despite his tender age, Rashford is more than good enough to not only go to the European Championships, but make a significant impact. However, the question remains whether he will be allowed to.

Despite several deficiencies both defensively and a lack of natural wide men, England are comparatively blessed with attacking talent. Even assuming that captain Wayne Rooney will drop into midfield in France (if he starts at all) Roy Hodgson already has the Premier League’s two top scorers Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy to try and squeeze into his system, as well as the supremely talented Daniel Sturridge as a luxury back up option.

This is where Rashford’s inclusion in the squad becomes a dilemma for Hodgson. Although Rashford has proved he is unlikely to be phased by the pressure of an international tournament, but there can be no doubt that he is, at best, Hodgson’s fourth choice option up front. If England are struggling for a late goal in the tournament, the manager is likely to turn to one of his proven strikers to turn the game around.

With only one or two spots up front, it is unlikely Rashford will get much game time, which brings the decision to include him in the squad into question. In order to include Rashford in the squad, Hodgson has taken the decision to only bring seven defenders with him, as well as leaving Premier League winner Danny Drinkwater at home. If the teenager fails to get much game time in the tournament and England are found wanting in other areas of the pitch, questions will be asked over Hodgson’s decision to include the youngster in his squad.

Furthermore, England have a mixed history of taking young strikers to tournaments, with equally mixed results. In 1998, also in France, Michael Owen announced himself to the world with a stunning tournament, scoring one of England’s great goals against Argentina. In 2004, Wayne Rooney scored four brilliant goals as he helped England reach the quarter-finals of the Euros.

However, in 2006, Arsenal teenager Theo Walcott travelled to the World Cup in Germany, only to sit on the bench for the whole tournament. It is difficult to create an argument that this had a significantly positive impact on Walcott’s career. Whilst it is far from essential that Rashford makes as positive an impression as Rooney or Owen, it would be a shame to see him go to the Euros and not have the chance to prove himself.

In short, Roy Hodgson’s decision to include Rashford in his England squad has potentially created more problems than it fixes. Although England are certainly better off for having such a talented young player in their team, it is unlikely that Rashford will get much time on the pitch to make an impression, and there are other areas of the squad which could have done with an extra player as back up. Rashford is ready to make an impact, but for Hodgson, his risky decision to include the teenager has left him wide open to criticism should it not work out as planned.

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