Should Roy Hodgson Gamble on John Stones for England at Euro 2016?

With the dust settling over the initial announcement of England’s 26-man preliminary squad for Euro 2016, we can begin to dissect what the inclusions (and exclusions) mean for the tournament.

Yes, Theo Walcott is out and yes, Marcus Rashford has been added to the group to gain experience, but let’s dig a little deeper into what some of Roy Hodgson’s tough decisions mean.

Running the rule over the full squad, it’s notable that only three centre-backs—Chris Smalling, Gary Cahill and John Stones—have been called up. Eric Dier is in there as a fourth option, but he’s scheduled to play (or perhaps start) in holding midfield.

The major name missing here is Phil Jagielka, who has been near-ever-present for the Three Lions under Hodgson, but a bad season with Everton has seen him fall off the pace.

Some fans are concerned a lack of defensive cover (i.e. a fourth option) may harm England, and that injury could force Dier back into defence, robbing the nation of their only player genuinely able to play as an anchor and break up play.

The Danny Drinkwater vs. Fabian Delph debate aside, centre-backs are the biggest talking point of the squad; the spotlight has firmly been pulled onto the fact that a) there’s only three, and b) there’s a real lack of star quality among them.

With all due respect to Smalling, who has had a great 18 months at Manchester United, Cahill, who has won the UEFA Champions League, and Stones, who possesses great potential and is a target for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola this summer (per B/R’s Dean Jones in the video below), this is not a class of yesteryear.

There are no John Terrys, no Rio Ferdinands, no Sol Campbells; gone are the days where a Jamie Carragher-type figure must make do with a spot on the bench—a point hammered home well by uMAXit Football’s Alex Keble.

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That reality is hammered home by the fact that, despite having a distinctly up-and-down season, Stones is genuinely in with a chance of starting the first …

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