Manager Roy Hodgson "fears" having to withdraw Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck from the England roster because of a knee injury but is confident, should he lose the Arsenal man, his side have the forward depth to cope.
If Welbeck does pull out, Hodgson will be left with fresh call-ups Jamie Vardy and Charlie Austin in addition to captain Wayne Rooney, who has been out recently with a dead leg.
Harry Kane, Danny Ings and Saido Berahino have been selected for the England Under-21 squad. And having to pick a relegated striker (Austin) and someone who was playing non-league football three years ago (Vardy) does not suggest England are awash with talented young forwards, but Hodgson disagrees.
"I don't think it is that bad, our talent pool," he said.
"And if we can confirm what we have seen with Charlie and Jamie Vardy and they show they are capable of being international players too, then our talent pool up front will be surprisingly big, certainly if you compare with what was available three years ago."
Vardy, Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton and QPR's 17-goal striker Austin could make their England debuts next month after being named in a 24-man party for the upcoming games against the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia.
Vardy's inclusion comes as the biggest surprise. The 28-year-old has scored just four times this season, but Hodgson has been an admirer of his talents for quite some time.
The England manager first came across the speedy forward three seasons ago when he was playing for Fleetwood in the Conference.
Hodgson's memory of the Kiddersminster match is not completely clear, but a quick look through the archives suggests the then West Brom manager was one of the 2,341 who attended Fleetwood's 2-0 win at Aggborough Stadium on Friday March 9, 2012.
Although he did not get on the scoresheet, Vardy stood out for Hodgson and had it not been for a prohibitive price tag, he could have signed the forward for the Baggies.
"I think he cost a million [when he moved to Leicester that summer] and we didn't throw millions around at West Brom," the England manager said.
"He was getting a lot of good reviews and it was an ideal opportunity to watch him play.
"It was a cold night, a difficult surface, and to be honest he didn't get a lot of chances to show what he could do, and neither did anyone else for that matter.
"It was a very competitive Conference match but you could see then he had some ability. That was the first time I saw him but at the time we were monitoring players, not with a view specifically to sign him, but next thing I knew, he'd moved on and gone to Leicester.
"[England coaches] Ray [Lewington], Gary [Neville], and I have followed him from there. We think he has some interesting qualities and that this will be a chance to see them at close hand."