Roy Hodgson’s bold Euro 2016 squad is the youngest since 1958… England head to France with an average age of under 26

Marcus Rashford was playing youth football earlier this season but is now in England’s Euro 2016 squad

Marcus Rashford has capped a whirlwind debut season by gatecrashing England’s Euro 2016 party as Roy Hodgson went for broke on Tuesday.

In one of the boldest squads named for a major tournament, Manchester United’s FA Cup winner Rashford — along with Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge — made the plane to France as the manager named five strikers in his 23, the youngest squad since the men sent to the 1958 World Cup finals.

• Hodgson selected the youngest ever England squad to participate at a European Championship.

Manchester United striker Rashford scored on his England debut against Australia on Friday evening

Rashford is joined by his Manchester United team-mate and captain Wayne Rooney in Hodgson’s final 23

• It will also be the youngest of all 24 squads at Euro 2016, averaging just under 26 on the day play starts, a few days younger than Germany’s.

• England have the youngest of the 552 players at the tournament in Rashford (18 and 214 days on Wednesday). Next youngest will be Portugal’s Renato Sanches, two months older.

• England have more players under the age of 23 than any other squad with SEVEN. No other nation will have more than five, and most have three or four. Harry Kane, Ross Barkley, Eric Dier and John Stones are all 22, while Raheem Sterling is 21, Dele Alli is 20 and Rashford 18. Hodgson hopes to harness their youthful exuberance with the experience of Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Gary Cahill.

Roy Hodgson has picked a youthful England squad for the tournament, with an average age of under 26

Andros Townsend (left) and Danny Drinkwater (right) were two players to miss out, but they took it graciously

Despite concerns over his fitness, Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge will be on England’s plane to France

ENGLAND’S FIXTURES

But there was bad news for Danny Drinkwater and Andros Townsend who, together with injured Fabian Delph, failed to make it from the provisional 26-man party.

However, it is the inclusion of Rashford, who only made his senior United debut in February, that captured the imagination.

Ron Jamieson, secretary and a coach at Fletcher Moss Rangers, the West Didsbury club where Rashford played from the age of six until he was nine, said: ‘You couldn’t write the script. It’s all happened for the lad. It’s a fairy-tale for him and a great story for our club. He’s the boy in the street with the ball dreaming of playing in the cup final. He’s had a bit of fortune and luck but no question he’s taken the bull by the horns.

Rashford burst onto the scene at Manchester United after scoring twice on his debut, and four in his first two

Ryan Bertrand (right) will miss England’s final friendly through injury but is set to return for the Russia clash

‘You couldn’t wish it on a nicer boy. He’s been to one or two of our players’ houses, taken a few bits and pieces, had a cup of tea and had some pictures taken. I’d sent him a message telling him to enjoy every minute of it, and he wrote back to say thanks. Then I got pictures of him and Jesse Lingard (another Fletcher Moss old boy) celebrating with the FA Cup after United won at Wembley.’

Rashford had written: ‘Dreams do come true — we did it!’ Drinkwater and Townsend, though, both failed to make the cut and were told after training on Tuesday morning at Watford’s training base. They had individual meetings, which lasted around 10 minutes, with Hodgson in his hotel room.

Leicester title winner Drinkwater and Townsend both took their disappointment graciously, posting messages of support to the chosen 23 on social media.

Left back Ryan Bertrand is set to miss Thursday’s final friendly against Portugal at Wembley due to injury — but will be fit for England’s Euro 2016 opener against Russia on June 11.