Euro 2016 might be three months away, but plenty are already speculating about who might make Roy Hodgson’s England squad.
This week’s confirmation that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss the next 6-8 weeks emphasises how quickly things can change.
The Arsenal man joins a ‘doubtful’ list which also includes the likes of Jack Wilshere and Luke Shaw, players who would have seemed nailed on for inclusion nine months ago.
Twitter user (and Football Manager supremo) Jonny Sharples has crunched the numbers and found out who the bookies think will be on the plane to France, and there are a few surprises.
The England Euro 2016 squad based on the current favourites to go to the tournament. pic.twitter.com/dDuaxNlPTC
— Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) March 1, 2016
Using odds from BetVictor, SkyBet, BetFred, Coral and Paddy Power, Sharples has drawn up a 23-man squad with three goalkeepers, seven defenders, eight midfielders and five strikers.
It’s a slight change from the 3-8-8-4 setup we often see, but with versatile Eric Dier in the mix – along with a wealth of available forwards – it makes some sense.
Only 13 of the 23 went to the World Cup in Brazil, with Dier and Tottenham team-mates Harry Kane and Dele Alli among the potential new additions, though fellow Spurs man Danny Rose is not included.
We asked Sharples whether he would have made any changes, and his reply of “Just one?” probably tells enough of the story.
“I’d probably get rid of one from Sturridge, Welbeck or Walcott (most likely Walcott) and bring in an extra central midfielder in the form of either Fabian Delph or Michael Carrick. Jonjo Shelvey just missing out,” he told JOE.
If you’re looking for some outside bets for the squad, you can get 16/1 on Manchester United’s newest superstar Marcus Rashford or young Chelsea talent Ruben Loftus-Cheek making the cut.
Shaw is 4/1 to return from his double leg-break to take his place in the squad, the same odds as Newcastle midfielder Shelvey and Leicester’s Danny Drinkwater.
But if you’re feeling really adventurous, or if you’ve foreseen a dramatic injury crisis taking down nearly every striker in England, you can get odds of 33/1 on Dave Nugent being included. Yes, that Dave Nugent.
