England manager Roy Hodgson will give Marcus Rashford his Three Lions debut as a sub against Australia

MARCUS RASHFORD can gatecrash England’s Euro 2016 squad after Roy Hodgson confirmed he will make his debut against Australia.

The Three Lions head coach plans to use Rashford as a substitute at the Stadium of Light on Friday following his impressive FA Cup final performance.

Although he was substituted with a knee injury after 72 minutes, scans revealed he only has minor bruising.

Rashford initially feared that he had twisted knee ligaments but the swelling had subsided on Sunday morning.

It means the Manchester United striker now has a shot at making the cut for the squad when he makes his bow against the Aussies.

Asked if Rashford, 18, would play on Friday, Hodgson said: “We’d hope so, yes. There isn’t an awful lot of chance for him to stamp his authority on myself and the coaching staff because there is such a short period of time.

“But I really am ruling nothing out. Again, I thought his performance in the FA Cup final was very good.

“I’m delighted I shall be seeing him and then we will have to wait to see whether I will be seeing a lot of him in the summer.

I’m not planning an experimental team but we have only three preparation games and seven players have missed the first one.

“I have to take those things into consideration and also the juxtaposition of players who need games and others who don’t really need three matches because they have had so many games during the course of the season.

“I will take all those things into account because by the time we come to the Portugal game the following Thursday I want a pretty good idea of what I’m thinking for the start of the tournament.”

Hodgson is desperate to take Rashford to the tournament as a wild card option.

He is the fifth striker on the squad list and it would mean breaking the heart of a midfielder to accommodate him in the final 23. Andros Townsend is expected to start against Australia but is fighting for his place.

With Danny Drinkwater, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Eric Dier in the squad, Hodgson has three similar central midfielders.

As things stand, Leicester’s Drinkwater is the most likely to miss out if Hodgson wants to shoehorn Rashford into the travelling party at the expense of a central midfielder.

Time is short for Rashford to make an impression but Hodgson’s ears pricked when he talked about his assured display at Wembley on Saturday.

Although the teenager did not add to his eight-goal United tally, he was one of their better players before he was substituted. Hodgson will assess him in training over the next few days but he has been primed to come on as a sub against Australia.

Hodgson added: “Rashford was a bit unlucky that we selected him when the amount of time we’re going to have with him is very, very short.

“It will be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and then Saturday morning we go back to the Grove Hotel and I have to make a decision on the 23 players.

“We will have to wait and see. There is no doubt I think I made the right decision putting him in this large group because no doubt the lad has enormous talent.

“You will know from my past record that I’m not afraid to give young players a chance.

“I don’t dismiss them on the basis of their age but you will also know full well that where he is playing we actually have a lot of competition for places.”