EXCLUSIVE: He is 34 years old and consigned to life as a Manchester United substitute, yet Teddy Sheringham would be my shock selection if I were taking England into the European Championship.

In writing this article I'm not trying to second-guess coach Kevin Keegan on who will be in the 22-man squad he names next Thursday. Nevertheless, I sense there are three key selection issues on which we differ.

Sheringham is not even among Kevin's 28-man short-list, yet I would have no hesitation in taking him to Holland and Belgium.

I can spot the big problem Kevin is facing. Not one of the six strikers he has named wants to drop off and play in a withdrawn role like Peter Beardsley and Sheringham used to do so expertly. At international level, that type of player is perhaps the biggest creative asset in any team.

You only have to remember how well the partnerships of Lineker and Beardsley and Shearer and Sheringham worked for England. The evidence is indisputable.

For years, remember, England tried to play our most prolific marksmen as a duo, with their backs to goal all the time, and it just didn't work.

The opposition's sweeper, behind man-markers, picked off the England strikers. The ball over the top for our flying front men just didn't come off at international level like it did at club.

Don't get me wrong, the six strikers named by Kevin are all terrific players. They know how to score at Premiership level. But do they know how to score at international level? There's a big difference.

All six strikers want to operate right up the pitch, on the opposing defender's shoulder. In international football you get very few opportunities working in tandem with Alan Shearer, playing in that style.

If I were still England manager I'd take Teddy. Look at the damage he still causes to teams by coming off the bench as substitute for United. He'd be a major asset for England.

Teddy is an international footballer. He's been to the top tournaments and performed there. Even as a substitute he has shown he can adapt to the situation and change the course of a match.

I'd like to have Sheringham as an alternative to the out-andout front men. If he isn't in the side, I'd ask Paul Scholes to fill a similar role behind Shearer.

People debated the merits of starting with Teddy in France 98 ahead of Michael Owen. I felt Teddy had a better understanding with Shearer and I knew we would use Michael against Colombia, who had a square back-four.

I've seen Teddy create panic in foreign defenders. He comes on as a sub and doesn't push right up front. They have to work out who's going to mark him. Suddenly there's indecision and Teddy slots passes into his partner or makes late runs, unmarked, to score himself.

The choice of strikers is perhaps the most difficult dilemma Kevin has to face. I'm not convinced Emile Heskey is proven at the top level yet. He did well against Argentina but the video of that game will have been scrutinised by every coach whose team will face England this summer. He won't be a surprise package.

I'd keep Kevin Phillips in because he can produce the unexpected. He must be on a high after topping 30 goals this season with Sunderland.

Robbie Fowler is a brilliant, instinctive finisher. I don't think he has the time to prove his real match fitness, so I'd leave him behind.

If Owen is fully fit, I'd take him and his Liverpool team-mate Emile Heskey. Andy Cole would be the odd man out - unless Owen's fitness proves to be a real concern.

I understand Rio Ferdinand's place is under threat. I would definitely take him. If you have three at the back, the system is made for Rio to be the spare man who can bring the ball out. That means Gareth Southgate's place would be in jeopardy.

It hasn't been a good season for English full backs. Gary Neville has been making mistakes, while Phil Neville hasn't been a regular for Manchester United but they'll both go to the finals.

In midfield, the first name I would pencil in is Paul Ince - not because he's the best but because of the circumstances of the competition. He's an international footballer and he knows what playing in a tournament at this level is all about. He'll feel at home in Euro 2000.

Dennis Wise is playing the best football of his life. I'd take him, too.

Ray Parlour is good if you play in a certain way but I think Kieron Dyer has a bit more to offer in terms of individuality and breaking away from tight marking. I'd take Dyer and leave out Parlour.

I like Jamie Redknapp but I wonder if he has had enough Premiership football to perform in Euro 2000. You can't afford to have too many lads with question-marks in their own minds facing the likes of Germany and Portugal.

In Jamie's favour is the understanding he built up with Ince during their days together at Liverpool. It's important to have players you can marry together in the midfield unit. This time I'd give Jamie the nod.

The loss of Jason Wilcox is a major blow in terms of providing a balanced midfield. Without the Leeds man there is no obvious left-sided player who can deliver crosses from the flank, add width to our play and act as a left-sided wing back. The loss of Wilcox reduces England's tactical options.

Kevin Keegan is about to discover the saddest aspect of being the England manager: shattering the dreams of players whose life-long ambition has been to represent their country in a major world showpiece is a terrible experience.

People who think players are paid big wages and so should take setbacks in their stride aren't facing up to reality. If you double the players' wages overnight, that doesn't make them stronger people.

They are human beings. They have dreams like anybody else. The coach has to make the horrible decision to shatter those dreams. And the players left behind will never under-stand why you made that decision.

Before the last World Cup I spoke to every player one-to-one. I had five minutes with each. It was a Sunday afternoon in La Manga. I was sad as I broke the news to the boys who weren't going with us but it was part of the job. It had to be done.

What got me through the La Manga situation was the vivid memory of my early days as a rookie manager at Swindon. We had a massive battle against relegation and in the space of just four weeks I had to judge the talents of a group of 18-year-old kids.

I'd only been a manager a month and I was potentially ending the career of a shattered teenager by telling him he wasn't good enough to stay at Swindon Town. Boys were breaking down and crying. They feared their lives were ruined. That was the hardest thing I've ever done.

Compared with that, the England situation was a piece of cake. I made myself remember those early days of management and it helped me deal with it.

Part Two: McManaman needs a special role with England

Hoddle's England squad: