3 superior picks to replace Welbeck at Euros over Man Utd man

One player Roy Hodgson would have been desperate to take across the channel this summer is Danny Welbeck, but with the injury-jinxed Arsenal man set for Euros heartbreak, England’s manager will be forced to look elsewhere.

The Daily Mirror reports that Hodgson is seriously considering Manchester United forward Jesse Lingard as Welbeck’s replacement in his final 23-man squad.

While Lingard’s stock has undoubtedly risen thanks to the faith shown in him by United boss Louis van Gaal this season, it’s highly debatable whether the uncapped 23-year-old is the best fit for France.

Ladbrokes News has offered a trio of alternatives to the industrious, yet potentially overrated forward who may be higher up the pecking order than he should be, simply by virtue of playing for United.

Andros Townsend

The Newcastle player may already be on any shortlist Hodgson is guarding, but if Townsend wasn’t in the original 23 then he ought to be now, finishing the season in fine form as he is with three Toon goals since the start of April. The winger is always a threat and has proven he can score in an England shirt before, notching three times in 10 previous caps and once in spectacular fashion on his debut against Montenegro.

Andy Carroll

Injury to Welbeck is the exact kind opportunity West Ham’s burly centre-forward would secretly have been praying for. Carroll has already shown his credentials at Euro 2012 when scoring against Sweden with the best bonce in the business, but far more importantly he’s showing form week in week out for his club. England have a raft of fairly similar options up front, so as Plan B or C options go, Carroll is right up there.

Theo Walcott

A few groans are bound to greet this suggestion given Walcott’s slide out of Arsenal’s first team over the course of the season. However, the pacey forward has shown up for the Three Lions before, notching in that same Euro 2012 fixture as Carroll and twice more in qualifying for this tournament. He may not be trusted fully by Arsene Wenger, but Walcott’s 43 caps and turn of speed are still valuable assets at a major tournament.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.