Welbeck is surprise choice for encounter with Dutch

The 20-year-old made his debut in the March friendly with Ghana and has long been tipped for a big future by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Nevertheless, it is a surprise Welbeck should be in a four-man strike force which includes neither Jermain Defoe or Darren Bent, who both featured in friendlies for Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively on Saturday.

Bent was omitted as a result of conversations with the England backroom staff a couple of days ago, although Villa are apparently insistent nothing is wrong with the striker, who started the 1-1 draw with Sporting Braga.

Indeed, as Welbeck’s Red Devils team-mate Wayne Rooney is back after suspension and Andy Carroll has recovered from the thigh injury that kept him out of the most recent Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland in June, Capello retains just one of his four front men, with Fulham’s Bobby Zamora also left out.

Capello was forced into a last-minute reshuffle due to the hamstring injury that forced Glen Johnson to hobble out of Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Valencia on Saturday after only seven minutes.

Phil Jagielka has filled the right-back role on the last two occasions Johnson has been missing.

On this occasion, though, Capello has taken the step of including both former Sheffield United player Kyle Walker – now back at Tottenham after a successful loan spell at Aston Villa – and Micah Richards.

A regular under Steve McClaren, the Manchester City full-back only won his first cap under Capello last November and a fortnight ago he said he might have to wait for the Italian to move on before he can resume his international career. Clearly, Capello has not been vexed by those comments.

Neither has he been put off by the ankle injury that kept Jack Wilshere out of Arsenal’s final pre-season friendly in Benfica as Capello has risked another club versus country row over the teenager by selecting him.

West Ham’s Rob Green and Scott Parker are also due to open their Championship campaigns for West Ham

England have drawn four successive matches against the Dutch and recorded their last win during Euro 96, when Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham both scored twice in a 4-1 triumph at Wembley.

England squad

Friendly match against Holland on Wednesday at Wembley:

Green, Hart, Stockdale; Baines, Cahill, Cole, Ferdinand, Jagielka, Lescott, Richards, Terry, Walker; Barry, Carrick, Downing, A Johnson, Lampard, Milner, Parker, Wilshere, Young, Carroll, Crouch, Rooney, Welbeck.