Rickie Lambert gets his first England call up

Rickie Lambert gets his first cap for England

Roy Hodgson picked his 25-man squad to face Scotland next Wednesday. The surprise pick was Rickie Lambert who got his first call up at the age of 31, after bagging 15 goals for the Southampton in the Premier League last season.

“What really impressed me about him is that this is a man who has come up the hard way, starting in non-League,” said Hodgson.

“He is a man who has worked hard to prove himself over all these years and deserves his call up at a time when a couple of players like Daniel Sturridge and Andy Carroll, who might have got the nod ahead of him, are unavailable.”

Rickie Lambert is one of the four strikers selected for the friendly alongside Danny Welbeck, Jermain Defoe and the troubled Wayne Rooney. Zaha was also included alongside wingers Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ashley Young.

Full England squad

Goalkeepers: Ben Foster, Joe Hart, John Ruddy

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker

Midfielders: Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Jack Wilshere

Wingers: James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young, Wilfried Zaha,

Forwards: Jermain Defoe, Rickie Lambert, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck