England's former midfield enforcer Paul Ince believes Sunderland veteran Jermain Defoe should have been included in Roy Hodgson's Euro 2016 squad instead of Manchester United teenager Marcus Rashford.
Ince, 48, who won 53 caps and played in three major tournaments for England before retiring from international football after Euro 2000, insists Defoe would have guaranteed Hodgson's side goals in France.
Defoe, 33, last appeared for England as a substitute in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Chile at Wembley in November 2013 and was controversially left out of Hodgson's squad for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
"For me Jermain Defoe should have gone,'' Ince told Press Association Sport. "When you look at Jermain Defoe, he'll always score goals and he's played at international level.
"The last three or four months, back end of the season, he probably kept Sunderland up on his own with the goals he scored. He's a natural finisher.
"As much as everyone's gone over the top about Rashford, I would have taken Jermain Defore first before I would have taken Rashford, if I'm being totally honest.
"Rashford's one who for me it's too early. You look at the Turkey game and yes he scored after three minutes, but after that he wasn't really in it and didn't do much in the rest of the game, which is what you expect of a young kid.
"He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and I hope he does get on and can do a Michael Owen, but I can't go too over the top about that at the moment.''