Are Austin, Ings and Kane on Hodgson's England radar?

Roy Hodgson has England striking options

Roy Hodgson doesn't have to pick a squad for a while yet but there will be a trio of players already on his mind for an England chance.

The next game for the Three Lions is not until 27 March, when they play a Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania that is closely followed by a friendly with Italy. The England boss will have kept himself busy watching Premier League matches and keeping a close eye on English players who deserve a chance in a national shirt.

There has been three stand-out contenders in recent months and, ironically, they all play in the same striking position. It is an area in which England have been rather stale over the last few years, so a new injection of youth and exuberance might be a breath of fresh air.

Harry Kane has been in phenomenal form for Spurs and his stock has risen massively in a short space of time. The young forward has gone from bit-part Europa League player to first team regular and scored 18 goals in all competitions so far this season. His rate of improvement has been impressive and talk of an England call-up is understandable.

Kane came through the Spurs youth ranks and he is set to sign a bumper new deal having become first choice striker ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado. Kane is already a hero at White Hart Lane and looks certain to wear an England shirt sooner rather than later.

It is likely that Kane is vying with Queens Park Rangers' Charlie Austin and Burnley's Danny Ings for a place in the next England squad and, with three bright homegrown stars all burning hot at the same time, it puts Hodgson in a difficult position. Especially considering Saido Berahino is also in the goals and Daniel Sturridge is set to make his comeback from injury.

Ings has played for the England under-21 side and is looking to make the next step up on the international ladder. The Burnley man made a relatively slow start to the season but has hit top form in recent months, with seven goals in 19 Premier League appearances. He is the top man for a struggling Burnley outfit and his performances to date at Turf Moor have resulted in bigger clubs sniffing around.

QPR's Austin has enjoyed a classic rags-to-riches climb up the footballing ladder, going from non-league Poole Town to scoring goals in the Premier League within five years. The 25-year-old has taken to top flight life with ease, scoring 13 goals in a struggling side. He sits behind only Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero in the Premier League scoring charts and boasts an impressive shooting accuracy of 67% this season.

There has been debate in the media about whether any of these three are really international class, but surely the only way to find out is to give them an opportunity. They have all shown this season they have the ability domestically, however it is a big step up to the international stage and it's been proved time-and-time again that gulf can be too big for some.

Kane, Ings and Austin have all shown they can be a threat and probably have all done enough to deserve a shot, but in reality there is not room for all of them. Hodgson has a difficult decision to opt for just one or two of them.