Three strikers that deserve a chance in the England team

This Premier League season has seen some English strikers shine and it's about time they are given their chance in the national side.

Three strikers that deserve a chance in the England team
QPR's Charlie Austin is the leading English goalscorer in the top-flight.
charlie-mcgrath
By Charlie McGrath

In March 2015, Roy Hodgson will select his squad for England's European Championship qualifier against Lithuania. A few new faces should be included.

While the likes of Danny Welbeck and Rickie Lambert have struggled, other strikers have proved their talent and are deserving contenders for a place in Roy Hodgson's side. 

The first of these is Charlie Austin, who is the leading English goalscorer in the Premier League. The QPR forward has 11 strikes to his name and is just four shy of league leader Sergio Aguero. 

Austin's goals have been crucial for his side and have seen the Rs move out of the drop zone and into sixteenth place. To put his influence into perspective, the 25-year-old has netted 11 out of the 17 goals Rangers have scored this season. Their next highest goalscorer is Leroy Fer on two. 

Not for the first time this season, Austin grabbed the headlines on Saturday when he bagged a superb hat-trick against West Brom. His goals handed QPR an unlikely win after they had gone two goals down within the first twenty minutes. 

The Englishman is proving his credentials as one of the country's best finishers and what's more he's doing it in a rather weak QPR side, which makes his efforts all the more impressive.

If Rickie Lambert, who has just one Premier League goal this season, gets selected for the England squad ahead of Austin, it will be a travesty. 

Another striker worthy of a call-up is Harry Kane, whose emergence as a promising young forward has come much to the delight of Spurs. 

The 21-year-old has four Premier League goals to his name this term, with many being crucial to his team, such as his late winner at Villa Park to snatch three points. 

Along with his goals in the league, Kane has been a vital asset for Mauricio Pochettino in other competitions. The Englishman has scored 5 times in as many Europa League games and boasts an impressive record of 14 goals from 23 appearances all told in 2014. 

At just 21, there is still a long way to go for Kane and it may prove to be too soon for him to establish himself in the national set-up, but the experience of training with the England side will only boost his development further. 

The final player for Roy Hodgson to chew over is West Ham's Andy Carroll, who has had a rocky few years but undoubtedly offers something different for England. 

The former Newcastle and Liverpool man has 9 international caps to his name and two goals, including a fine headed effort in England's 3-2 win over Sweden in the 2012 European Championships. 

Carroll's immense physical presence is hard to defend against and, as his fine chipped goal against Leicester City on Saturday showed, he is a good finisher, too. 

Carroll, Kane and Austin would be worthy additions to Hodgson's squad to face Lithuania in March.

Let us hope Hodgson has the courage to ditch his usual selection of Lambert and Welbeck if their poor form continues and give some new faces the chance to shine.