Five youngsters who can make it to Roy Hodgson's World Cup party

It’s finally done – after the endless discussions of permutations and playoffs, England secured their passage to the 2014 World Cup finals with a 2-0 win against Poland at Wembley on Tuesday.

But here’s where the real fun starts – just who does Roy Hodgson take to Brazil?

It’s clear to every man and his dog that the ‘Golden Generation’ has had their day, with Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney the only starters from the side that was humiliated in a 4-1 defeat by Germany at the last World Cup in South Africa four years ago, and fans have eventually accepted that Jules Rimet trophy will not be nestling snugly in the arms of a John Terry or Rio Ferdinand.

But as an old day passes, a new one arrives. Of particular hope for Three Lions fans will be new recruit Andros Townsend, who has starred in his first two starts – including a superb goal against Montenegro on Friday night.

The decision to start the 22-year-old Tottenham winger was a bold one by Hodgson, who is perhaps now sensing that England’s best chances of success next summer may be in maximising their attacking potential given the relative lack of quality in defence.

The fearlessness shown by Townsend was a breath of fresh air given the alarming loss of confidence from many a seasoned professional every time the white jersey is seemingly pulled on in recent years.

So with a national squad in flux and the Premier League looking to be the most exciting title race in years, there’s plenty of time for the youngsters to prove themselves to the manager if they want to make the final 23 – here are some of the top contenders…

Andros Townsend

Just two games ago, the Spurs winger had yet to play a single minute for the national side – and now the prospect of him missing out on the plane to Brazil is virtually unthinkable, given how he seized his chance with such aplomb.

The 22-year-old has made six appearances for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, and while he has yet to score or assist, he is Spurs’ second-highest rated midfielder on Performance Score with 207, only behind Mousa Dembele on 291.

He has created nine chances and has an average passing accuracy of 81%, while he has attempted a massive 48 take-ons, completing an impressive 33 (69%). Townsend has won the Best Attack award on three occasions, and if he can continue to show the same kind of direct flair and shooting ability from range, Hodgson will have a winger that has pretty much everything to his game.

The only question is whether Townsend can keep up this form throughout the season.