England calling: opportunity knocks for Dele Alli and Theo Walcott to show their talent in Euro 16 group game
England players will be given a chance to press for a place in manager's plans with regular starters missing for remaining Euro qualifiers
Tottenham Hotspur teenager Dele Alli is one of several players hoping to make an impression when England begin their preparations for next year's European Championships against Estonia today.
England secured their place at Euro 2016 by beating Switzerland 2-0 last month, when Wayne Rooney became his country's all-time leading scorer, and they will be looking to record a ninth win in nine group E games in the encounter at Wembley.
With nothing riding on the game, manager Roy Hodgson may use it to test Arsenal forward Theo Walcott in a central role and could also give 19-year-old central midfielder Alli a first taste of senior international football.
It's good to get him in and he's going to be in and around the England squad for a very long time
"He's really pushed on," said goalkeeper Joe Hart of Alli, who signed for Spurs from Milton Keynes Dons for an initial fee of £5 million (HK$59.2 million) in February and has made four Premier League starts to date this season, scoring once.
"He had a good season last season and Tottenham look like they've given him confidence by putting him in their very good side.
"It's good to get him in and he's going to be in and around the England squad for a very long time."
Rooney scored a late free-kick to give England a 1-0 win when the teams last met a year ago in Tallinn; a game overshadowed by the fallout from Hodgson's claim that Raheem Sterling had told him he was too tired to play.
