ENGLAND boss Roy Hodgson has revealed that he didn’t feel he had space to include Burnley striker Danny Ings in his latest senior squad.

The Clarets frontman was instead selected in Gareth Southgate’s Under-21 side despite his fine form for Sean Dyche’s side so far this season.

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Hodgson did pick Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who has 16 Premier League goals so far this season, but a squad size of only 24 players prevented Ings or former Clarets striker Charlie Austin, now with Queens Park Rangers, from winning their first call-up.

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge and Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck complete the quartet of forwards in the squad for a European Championship qualifier with Lithuania a week today and a friendly in Italy the following Tuesday.

On the striker situation Hodgson said: "Obviously the competition up front is pretty strong.

"Apart from Harry Kane, there is Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling.

“That's pretty strong competition and I am talking about what we regard as some of our most important players.

"Before I can start adding the Ings and Berahinos, there has got to be a gap somewhere. There has got to be a place for them."