Roy Hodgson admitted that he has been pleasantly surprised by striker Jamie Vardy and says he is proving himself a "very useful" forward option.
The England manager named Vardy in his latest 23-man squad for the upcoming internationals against Spain in Alicante and France at Wembley.
And it is no real shock, with the Leicester City man sitting at the top of the Premier League scoring charts with 11 goals after helping the Foxes into third in the table.
Spain v England
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8.45pm CET, Friday 13 November 2015
Jose Rico Perez Stadium, Alicante
England v France
Breast Cancer Care International
8pm GMT, Tuesday 17 November 2015
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
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Vardy has become a regular in the England squad during the last six months after making his debut away in Ireland in June, and now has four caps to his name.
"I would be lying if I didn’t say I was surprised, pleasantly surprised," said Hodgson.
"When we selected him, I don’t think there were a lot of people in the room saying ‘fantastic – that is a great idea as Jamie Vardy is the obvious man’. And now you are.
"That is all credit to him. He has proved himself."
The former Fleetwood Town hitman, 28, is on a streak of scoring in eight consecutive Premier League games for Claudio Ranieri's outfit.
Vardy is now just two behind Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of ten on the spin and will be keen to move closer against Watford on Saturday.
Vardy is on a Premier League ratio of a goal a game for the Foxes this season
That form - a goal a game in the top-flight this season - has impressed Hodgson and he believes the Yorkshireman can play an important role anywhere across England's attacking unit.
"He wasn’t actually playing as a 100 per cent regular for Leicester not so long back," recalled Hodgson.
"He had some spells on the bench, now he is their main man, he is the top goalscorer in the League and has got a record at his fingertips, which he could at least equal with Van Nistelrooy, so that is all credit to him.
"All I can hope for is that he continues. He will, I am sure.
"There is no doubt the qualities he has as a football player are very useful . They may be useful qualities for an international team."
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