Townsend and Rashford in, Walcott out as Hodgson names provisional Euro 2016 squad

Liverpool's Jordan Henderson is also in the squad alongside Wilshere, despite both players having only just returned from serious injury problems.

Townsend is given the spot that would otherwise have been destined for Danny Welbeck, with Manchester United's teenage starlet Marcus Rashford also included.

Hodgson must whittle his squad down by three players after upcoming friendlies against Turkey and Australia on May 22 and May 27 respectively.

"We thought that it was perhaps better to add one or two players to the squad," said Hodgson, explaining his decision to name a preliminary 26-man squad, specifically mentioning the recent returns of Wilshere and Henderson.

The manager also admitted that the loss of Danny Welbeck to injury had disrupted his plans; "It's a pity that his chance of making the final 23 has been ruined by injury."

Hodgson added that he will make his final choice after England's second warm-up match of three, which takes place against Australia.

"I would think that the extra cover we've given ourselves, we'll be finished with after we play Australia in Sunderland," said Hodgson.

The world's second-best-paid international boss also added his rationale for leaving behind the highly-experienced defender Phil Jagielka.

"We've robbed Peter to pay Paul, taking the decision to go with seven defenders in order to take another attacking player," said Hodgson.

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, Fraser Forster, Tom Heaton.

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Nathaniel Clyne, John Stones, Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling, Ryan Bertrand, Danny Rose.

Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jack Wilshere, Fabian Delph, James Milner, Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley, Andros Townsend, Danny Drinkwater

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (c), Daniel Sturridge, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford was the biggest surprise inclusion - a true wildcard, though he may not make it into the final 23-man squad.

"He's one of the contenders, though the competition is strong," said Hodgson.

"There's no reason, if he does exceptionally well, that he shouldn't knock someone off his perch... But they're not going to be easy to knock off their perch," added the smiling England boss, clearly suggesting that only exceptional displays in the warm-up matches will see Rashford make the final cut.

Newcastle forward Andros Townsend is another surprise in Roy Hodgson's squad for the 2016 European Championships in France - though his inclusion has been widely tipped for some time.

Townsend was a key player for Hodgson in 2014 World Cup qualifying, but missed the tournament in Brazil through injury.

Jack Wilshere, who has played just 141 minutes of football since last July and who hasn't played a full 90 minutes for Arsenal since September 2014, is also named in the squad.

Liverpool's Jordan Henderson is in despite the Reds skipper having played less than half an hour since returning from a knee injury.

Danny Drinkwater had been expected to miss out should both Wilshere and Henderson get the nod, but he is included; no doubt Hodgson will choose two of the three to retain between now and the final UEFA squad deadline on May 31.

Other notable selections are the inclusions of Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph and Burnley's Tom Heaton in goal, while young defender John Stones is also in the squad despite being part of an Everton defence that has looked deeply suspect all season.

Arsenal's Theo Walcott is the biggest name to miss out, yet another blow for a player who has consistently been on the fringe of England stardom for a decade without ever establishing himself as first choice.

Also out is Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe, who like Walcott is included in a stand-by list despite devastating form in the last few weeks of the season, and West Ham's Andy Carroll.

West Ham captain Mark Noble missed out on selection, his season's worth of excellent performances for the Premier League champions deemed insufficient to oust Wilshere.

West Brom's Ben Foster will be dismayed to have missed out as Heaton got the third goalkeeper spot, while Phil Jagielka was dropped to leave space for Stones.

Several risky moves here from Hodgson. Picking Wilshere and Henderson despite their injury problems is a huge gamble from the England boss, especially considering that both men essentially fill the same role in the team at the heart of midfield.

Potentially more interesting is the inclusion of Marcus Rashford, giving England a genuinely exciting option from the bench.

FRIENDLY: May 22 - England v Turkey (Manchester City Stadium, 5.15pm)

FRIENDLY: May 27 – England v Australia (Stadium of Light, 7.45pm)

FRIENDLY: June 2 – England v Portugal (Wembley, 7.45pm)

EURO 2016 GROUP B: June 11 – England v Russia (Marseille, 8pm)

EURO 2016 GROUP B: June 16 – England v Wales (Lens, 3pm)

EURO 2016 GROUP B: June 20 – England v Slovakia (St Etienne, 8pm)

9/1 to win the tournament

5/1 to reach the final

2/1 to reach the semi-finals

8/11 to reach the quarter-finals

11/13 to win Group B

1/9 to qualify from Group B