Roy's relief: England's saviour against Sweden, Theo Walcott (second left), will be fit to play

In many ways this presents the kind of challenge that should suit Hodgson with its demand for the right balance between ambition and consolidation.

Draw and England are through to the quarter-finals and, before a ball was kicked here, the new England manager would have certainly  settled for that. So would the FA given the chaos that has engulfed the team these past few months. But playing for a draw can be dangerous.

Perhaps that is why Hodgson is wrestling with his options on the right wing, between a more attacking line-up that sees him start with Theo Walcott to exploit a lack of pace in
Ukraine’s defence and a more conservative approach with James Milner, who ran 1.4km  further than any other England player against Sweden.

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