England boss Steve McClaren will hand Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster – who is on-loan from Manchester United - his international debut in England’s international friendly against Spain at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

McClaren has also recalled long-term absentees Kieron Dyer and Jonathan Woodgate to a starting line-up that will be missing Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

The Manchester United star, who is suffering from a slight back strain, trained with the England squad on Tuesday morning but after assessment by the national team's medical staff, it was decided he should not risk aggravating the strain and be returned to his club.

McClaren insisted his decision to blood 23-year-old Foster, who is at Watford on loan from Manchester United, was unrelated to do with the mixed recent form of Paul Robinson, who has been England's number one since he displaced former Three Lions keeper David James in September 2004.

McClaren has stressed that he was anxious to increase the international match experience of England’s second-choice goalkeepers, purely because of the risk of his number one shot-stopper suffering an injury during the EURO 2008 qualifiers.

“Nobody has got the experience,” said McClaren. “Paul Robinson has. Not Ben Foster, not Scott Carson, not Chris Kirkland. None of them have even played in Europe for their clubs and we have to give them that experience of the bigger stage.

"Unfortunately Chris Kirkland is injured but that gives Ben Foster a perfect opportunity to start the game. He has done well for Watford this season and he deserves his chance."

In Rooney's absence, Liverpool striker Peter Crouch will lead the England forward line with Chelsea’s Shaun Wright-Phillips and Newcastle’s Kieron Dyer patrolling the flanks in a 4-3-3 line-up similar in formation to the one deployed in England’s 1-1 draw with Holland in Amsterdam last November.

With Chelsea left-backs Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge both ruled out through injury, United’s veteran right-back Phil Neville will be moved to start on the left, instead of McClaren starting with Aston Villa's Gareth Barry, one of the few naturally left-sided players available to him.

Both Woodgate and Dyer have returned to the England fold after long absences as a result of injuries which had threatened to end their careers.

Dyer has been in stunning form for The Magpies since finally overcoming a combination of back and hamstring injuries, illness and depression.

With Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole currently sidelined through injury, McClaren is delighted to welcome Dyer back into the international fold, nearly two years after his last appearance for England.

"If you look at any kind of football, whether its in the Premiership or the Champions League, it is littered with players with pace and mobility, that are capable of beating players," said McClaren.

"They are becoming more and more important and I think we've been crying out for players with genuine pace for two or three years now and Kieron can provide that."

Woodgate has been out of the England picture for nearly three years, but with captain John Terry sitting out the match while recovering from back surgery, McClaren has brought Woodgate back into the starting line-up, alongside Rio Ferdinand, his former centre-back partner from Leeds United.

Woodgate is spending this season on loan at Middlesbrough from Real Madrid, who agreed earlier this week to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

England team v Spain: Ben Foster; Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Woodgate, Phil Neville; Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard (captain), Frank Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips; Peter Crouch, Kieron Dyer.