Mata backs £185k-per-week under-performing Chelsea star to rediscover old form

Harry Kane has six goals in his last four games, including a hat-trick against Bournemouth, and has two for England in his last four.

Ukraine’s Taras Stepanenko (R) chases Spain’s Isco during their Euro 2016 group C qualifying soccer match at the Olympic stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, October 12, 2015.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque can call on Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla, Koke and Thiago Alcantara.

Del Bosque’s Spanish outfit take on the Three Lions in an worldwide friendly on Friday.

While neither Gaspar or De Marcos are likely to play a key role at Euro 2016, Del Bosque is keen to try out as many options as possible as he looks to get the team in shape for their bid for an unprecedented third consecutive European triumph.

“Obviously it hasn’t gone as well as it did last season for him but I think he is a fantastic player”.

Hodgson described Costa as “a very combative player” but said his defenders would just have to deal with that.

Jamie Vardy is in wonderful form this term and deserves 30 minutes off the bench through the middle but Kane, who has been better over a longer period and is, I think, a superior footballer, should start. “He’s not in the best moment of the season like last season where he scored a lot of goals”.

Hodgson ought to pick a formation now and stick with it. There’s always a temptation to fiddle but it never comes off. Players prefer to know the basic set-up; it encourages continuity, awareness and confidence.

“Chelsea are not playing well at all this year and all parts of the team are being criticised”, Del Bosque said on Thursday. Costa is one of our players now, there is nothing else.

Hodgson added: “I feel like the future is incredibly bright for a player like Ross Barkley and it is up to him, as he has said so many times himself, to keep working, to keep developing his game, improve and make sure that whenever the team is announced his is a name I can not possibly leave out”. We were good in defence, tight at the back, attentive to second balls, but they are a great team.

He has been criticised by fans for failing to fit into the passing style of the team, but Del Bosque has backed Costa.

Arsenal defender Gabriel was sent off earlier this season for clashing with the 27-year-old and he tried to provoke Ryan Shawcross during Chelsea’s defeat to Stoke last weekend by grabbing the centre-back’s jaw before telling him rather impolitely that he had bad body odour.