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With Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy excelling for a pair of surprise title contenders, skipper Wayne Rooney discovering a rich vein of form prior to an injury he is soon to return from in the New Year and Daniel Sturridge gradually working his way back to fitness, the England head coach has not been left short of possibilities for his Euro 2016 squad as the finals tournament draws ever closer.
Throw in the probable availability of Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling among others, and Hodgson is hardly short of options in attack. So it came as something of a shock this week when Hodgson refused to rule out the promotion of an 18-year-old forward with three games of first-team experience into his Euro plans.
Marcus Rashford’s rise to prominence at Manchester United has indeed been a fantastic story. His two goals against FC Midtjylland turned his side’s Europa League fortunes on their head, while the double which followed against Arsenal three days later underlined his status as a striker of true poaching quality.
But the very mention of a senior call-up ahead of a major tournament for a rookie who had not even featured above under-21 level a fortnight ago can surely do nothing for Louis van Gaal’s attempts to keep expectations in check.
“He has only played two matches,” said the United manager after Rashford’s brace against Arsenal. “The first matches are always good for experience, but it is the consistency so he has to show it in the third, fourth, fifth match. I don’t have to say details because then it is a subject in the media for months.”
It will have pleased the Dutchman not one jot for Hodgson to ramp up the media machine a little further when asked about the Mancunian starlet’s position in the race for a Euro spot. Having said in one breath that Rashford needs time to develop, he claimed in the next that he could well be in the running to make the 23 for France.
“I hope he is allowed to develop as an 18-year-old should and people don’t try to put him under enormous pressure,” said Hodgson.
“I would neither rule him in or rule him out. I just hope he can do well.”
Although Hodgson went on to claim that he has watched Rashford’s development over a period of years, it had not yet occurred to him to ask Gareth Southgate to give him a run in the England under-21 side so why does he suddenly become a potential candidate for the Euros?
Of course there is an argument that a string of injury concerns in the England forward line, coupled with a good run for Rashford between now and May, could well open the way for a speedy promotion to the senior international ranks. To that extent, Hodgson is leaving his options open.
But it surely does nobody any good, least of all Rashford himself, for the England coach to dangle the attractive carrot in front of the 18-year-old so soon into his club career.
Theo Walcott was called into the England squad for the 2006 World Cup before he had even played at Premier League level, but he did have a host of previous experience in the Championship with Southampton to call upon. The consideration of using Rashford already would surely rank as the biggest risk taken by an England boss in some years.
“His record through the age groups is fantastic, and he’s done brilliantly. But calls for him to go to France in June are ridiculous,” former Premier League prodigy Robbie Fowler told The New Day.
“I know what it’s like to be a teenager in the top flight and I just hope he’s allowed to develop and keeps scoring goals. He’s got a bit about him.”
United bosses and their England counterparts have not always enjoyed the best of relationships, and Hodgson’s intentions for Rashford will undoubtedly come in for some scrutiny in the coming weeks.
The best thing Van Gaal can possibly do for his young striker right now is protect him from the digital age’s whirlwind of pressure and expectation for as long as possible. And the worst thing Hodgson can do is give credence to the runaway notion that Rashford is suddenly England’s saviour as well as United’s.
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