Marcus Rashford

The 18-year-old forward who made his debut three months ago at Manchester United and made a huge impact, appears in the preliminary list of 26 players for the England national team for the Euro 2016, which begins on June 10.

Rashford

Who has scored seven goals with Manchester United, is one of five forwards called up by England national team coach Roy Hodgson for friendly matches against Turkey, Australia and Portugal.

Hodgson will have to discard three players and will probably do so after the clash with Australia on May 27.

That will be the only game in which Rashford can show himself, as he will not be available for the match next Sunday against Turkey since Man U has to play the final of the Football Association Cup against Crystal Palace the previous day.

"He is one of the candidates" for a forward position, said Hodgson, although he added that "he has very strong competition".

"But he deserves to be part of this preliminary squad. It will be interesting to see what he can do," he added. "If he continues to mature, there is no reason why he cannot be a regular England player".

The most notable absence is that of Theo Walcott, who has not started a single game as a starter at Arsenal since February. Andros Townsend, who performed well at Newcastle despite the club's relegation, was called up in his place.

The list includes midfielders Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson, who are coming back from injuries and will have to prove that they are in good shape.

The Euro 2016 will be played from June 10 to July 10 and England is in Group B with Russia, Wales, and Slovakia.

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