Euro 2016 Status Report: England

After this week’s packed schedule, there are only two friendly slots remaining before the 23-man squads have to be announced on May 31 – so countries are running out of time to test new players.

We have drawn on our extensive European network of websites to bring you our expert insight into how the Euro 2016 contenders are shaping up. We start with England.

Saturday, March 26: Germany (A)

Tuesday, March 29: Netherlands (H)

- Danny Drinkwater and the midfield: The Leicester City midfielder’s stunning form for the unlikely table-toppers has rightly earned him his first international recall. Can Drinkwater impress Roy Hodgson enough in these two games to force his way into the England squad? Jack Wilshere started the qualifying campaign in the holding role in a diamond formation and Jonjo Shelvey briefly took over, but now Eric Dier and Dele Alli are in the ascendancy. Drinkwater will be hoping to go to the finals as a back-up.

- Theo Walcott and the forwards: There were some eyebrows raised when Walcott made the squad despite a very unconvincing run of form with Arsenal of late. With Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge back fit and Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane both bang in form, England’s attacking options look fairly formidable and Walcott’s place could be in jeopardy if he doesn’t finish the season well. Fabio Capello axed him just before the 2010 World Cup after poor performances in friendlies – could a repeat be on the cards?

- Absent friends: Hodgson says he is still hoping to include both Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, should they return for Arsenal and get enough games under their belt before the end of the season. Captain Wayne Rooney is also due to return to boost the attack. Suddenly, England have a lot of options and Hodgson has some big decisions to make – both in terms of the make-up of his squad and the identity of his first XI, which fluctuated frequently during the qualification process.

Hodgson had some interesting things to say about Rooney’s command of a first-team spot: “In an ideal world, I’d only take players who are mechanically fit and able to play. I’m confident he will be. But I’ve never said he’s an automatic starter. I’ve never said anyone is. Does he have a good chance with his track record, ability and experience? Of course he does. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he will be in the line-up: he might not have recovered to the best of his ability, or we might want to use different players or play in a different way. But he’s our captain and has been very important in that job in the last few years, and we will need his influence and ability on the field.”

England’s team is far from settled and the starting XI for the Germany friendly is very open to interpretation. However, it’s fair to assume that England will stick with the 4-3-3 formation they used in the 2-0 friendly win over France in November and for the majority of qualifying. That could even mean a young and very exciting midfield of Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Ross Barkley – all of whom have had fantastic seasons. However, Jordan Henderson could start ahead of Barkley.

The attack could be configured in any number of ways but joint Premier League top goalscorer Harry Kane surely demands a start in the central position, even ahead of Jamie Vardy, and Danny Welbeck is a big favourite of Hodgson so will likely feature. Raheem Sterling misses out with injury. The big question is what happens when Rooney returns to the fold. If England score goals against Germany and Netherlands and look fluent, he could struggle to get back in the team.

There are also unresolved issues in defence with the left-back spot very much up for grabs with Luke Shaw almost certain to miss out on the Euros due to injury. Either Ryan Bertrand or Danny Rose could start, though Nathaniel Clyne has a rather firmer grip on the right. In the centre, John Stones’ recent dip in form could stop him from disrupting the Smalling-Cahill partnership, at least in this round of friendlies, and Jack Butland will come in for the injured Joe Hart.

Spaces are few and far between, with Hodgson blessed with a deep and talented pool of players to choose from – if not any genuinely world-class names. Marcus Rashford is back in the headlines after scoring against Manchester City but there appears little chance he will make the squad given England’s current resources in attack. West Ham midfielder Mark Noble surely stands a chance if he takes his side into the Champions League, and if Wilshere doesn’t recover from the injury problems which have stopped him playing all season.

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Manchester City) - Hart replaced by Tom Heaton (Burnley)

Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).

Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Ross Barkley (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), James Milner (Liverpool).

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).