The Manchester United striker burst on the scene in February, scoring back-to-back braces for the Red Devils, and he etched his name into global history on Friday evening as he became the youngster player to ever score on their England debut.
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Hodgson’s striking options have been swelled by Manchester United starlet Marcus Rashford, who yesterday signed a new contract which ties the 18-year-old to Old Trafford until June 2020.
He then made his England debut where he managed to score against Australia on his first showing for the Three Lions, becoming the youngest England player to do so on his debut, bagging after just 135 seconds.
The Southampton striker opened the scoring only for Luuk de Jong’s late header to seal a draw.
There were question marks over Rashford’s place in the England squad, with the Manchester United man seemingly only included due to Danny Welbeck’s injury.
Rooney’s goal had its origins in a smart turn from Rashford near the halfway line.
“When Wayne came on, Marcus played on the flank and showed what he could do there”. “It’s fantastic – I’m pleased for him [Rashford]”.
“I don’t want to sound naive, but we’re going into the tournament to do well, not just to participate”. But I wasn’t surprised with the way he played.
England will next play Portugal in one final warm up match for the 2016 Euros, while the Socceroos will travel home for two matches against Greece in Sydney and Melbourne.
However, Rashford was only able to make his England debut thanks to yet another injury for Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge.
“We have such depth in the squad when you look at the number of players we have with quality it will be a little harsh some will miss out but we can only take the 23”.
“But nothing changes in that respect because we wouldn’t have him with us in the 26 if we didn’t think he was a serious contender for the 23”.
“I’ve been through losing in two cup finals, which is disappointing”.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has twice come up against Rashford at club level and, having seen him at close quarters with England, is excited by the teenager’s potential. Their first group game is against Russian Federation in Marseille the following Saturday.
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“Both have proved, with their performances in training and by getting through one-and-a-half games, they are ready and will be more ready as we move forward”.
