Ace Rashford gets the nod from Hodgson

MARCUS Rashford was the stand-out name as England manager Roy Hodgson selected a young, bold and attacking squad for Euro 2016.

Half a century after lifting the World Cup, England will cross the Channel on Monday looking to return as champions of Europe.

Hodgson finalised his 23-man squad for this summer's tilt at glory on Tuesday afternoon, with Andros Townsend and Danny Drinkwater joining the injured Fabian Delph in being cut from the enlarged provisional party.

Having initially intended to reveal his final selection on May 12, the England manager instead named a 26-strong group after the final round of Premier League matches in order to assess the fitness of some key players.

That decision also allowed the coaching staff to take a closer look at Manchester United striker Rashford, who netted eight goals in 18 appearances after bursting on to the scene in late February.

DEBUT

The 18-year-old went on to score 138 seconds into Friday's international debut and was named man of the match in the 2-1 friendly win against Australia, complementing some impressive training displays.

Hodgson, Ray Lewington and Gary Neville clearly saw enough from the precocious striker as, 96 days after making his club debut, they included him in the squad heading to France.

Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson were all chosen despite questions over their fitness, while left-back Ryan Bertrand was included despite receiving treatment on a knock.

The Football Association is expecting the entire squad to be fit for England's Group 'B' opener against Russia on June 11, even if Thursday's final warm-up match against Portugal comes too soon.

Full squad -

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart. Fraser Forster, Tom Heaton; Defenders: Nathaniel Clyne, Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling, Ryan Bertrand, John Stones; Midfielders: Dele Alli, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Eric Dieer, Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere, Raheem Sterling; Strikers: Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge, Marcus Rashford.