Roy Hodgson given 'resounding yes' as to Marcus Rashford's capabilities after striker scores on England debut

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Roy Hodgson has admitted that Marcus Rashford has shown him he has the ability to perform on the big stage after the young Manchester United striker scored on his England debut on Friday night.

Rashford earned his first cap for the Three Lions against Australia at the Stadium of Light after Daniel Sturridge failed to recover from a calf strain, and the 18-year-old took less than three minutes to score his first England goal when he volleyed in Raheem Sterling's pass.

The strike not only set the hosts on their way to a 2-1 win in Sunderland, but also meant that Rashford became the youngest-ever goalscorer in England history as he beat Michael Owen's previous record of scoring at the age of 18 years and 164 days.

Hodgson will now prepare to whittle his 26-man squad down to 23 next week, and the England coach suggested on Friday that Rashford may have forced his way into the team ahead of Euro 2016.

"It's fantastic, he did well. I'm pleased for him," Hodgson told ITV. "He obviously tired a little bit towards the end but that's normal when you're playing your first game. As you say, what a debut.

"You asked me before the game whether I think he would be up for it or capable of dealing with the situation and I think we've had a resounding yes today.

"I'm really pleased for him."

When then asked whether Rashford's fairytale of a story would see him go to Euro 2016, Hodgson said: "Well, let's wait and see.

"I said yesterday that he would certainly have a place in anyone's 23 but I have a few choices to make and I don't intend to tell you tonight.

"It's not really fitness dependent. Those doubts we may have had at the start with having 26 players, I think we've answered them during these 10 days. I don't think I should be using that as an excuse.

"We had a slight fitness doubt over [Jordan] Henderson and [Jack] Wilshere but they've proved their performances in training and in one-and-a-half games."

Another of Hodgson's concerns is Sturridge, who failed to train with England this week after suffering a calf injury.

The England coach insisted he will give the Liverpool striker until Monday to prove his fitness ahead of his squad announcement, but suggested Sturridge is still one of his first-choice forwards despite his injury woes.

"It will be interesting to see how he gets on over the weekend," Hodgson said of Sturridge. "I hope he trains on Monday and then it won't be a reason for me to leave him out of the 23."

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