Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater has received his first international call up after being selected by Roy Hodgson for the England squad ahead of friendly fixtures against Germany and The Netherlands.
The 26 year old, former Manchester United graduate, has profited from being part of a table topping Leicester side, in which Drinkwater has impressed everyone with his all round game.
Despite his main duties focusing around protecting his defensive team mates as well as initiating attacks with his excellent range of passing, Drinkwater has displayed on numerous occasions this season that he has the game to advance to the next level of the footballing hierarchy.
Having completed more successful tackles than any other player in this years Premier League as well as ranking in the top five for most completed passes, the education he received at Old Trafford is seemingly beginning to flourish under Claudio Ranieri. With positions in England’s midfield still very much up for grabs in the lead up to this summer, Drinkwater does not have long to establish himself as he looks to compete with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Michael Carrick and Eric Dier for places. At 33/1 with Coral to gain a starting place in England’s opening Euro 2016 fixture with Russia, the Leicester man may well prove to be a good outside bet.
Elsewhere in the recently announced England squad, there were places for Danny Rose and James Milner, as well as the returning forwards Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck. England face neighbours Wales as well as Russia and Slovakia as they look to progress into the latter stages of the tournament this summer.
Despite their immaculate qualification record and currently standing as fourth favourites for the tournament in France, some of Europe’s big names are still ahead of them in the pecking order. The likes of Spain and Germany make up the front runners in Coral’s tip for the finals at Euro 2016, and England’s upcoming fixtures should give as a better indication as to how they compare.
With Euro 2016 tips and predictions being brandished around more and more in the build up to the tournament, markets such as leading goal scorer and red cards are gaining most of the attention this time around. With the UK being represented well in the form of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is likely be even more attention on the tournament from these shores. With a little over a month until the end of the domestic season in England, the remaining fixtures could well have a major impact on squad selections, with several big names seemingly returning from injury just in time.
