England boss Roy Hodgson admits that their friendly against Portugal was initially designed to use Cristiano Ronaldo as preparation for coming up against Gareth Bale.

England manager Roy Hodgson has admitted that Thursday's friendly with Portugal was initially chosen with Gareth Bale in mind.

The Three Lions will take on Fernando Santos's men in their final Euro 2016 warm-up game tomorrow, with Hodgson selecting the opposition in the hope that Cristiano Ronaldo could help to prepare his players for the challenge of facing Bale when England come up against Wales in their second group game.

However, Ronaldo will play no part in the friendly having been given extra time off following his appearance in the Champions League final, although Hodgson is still hoping to take something from the game.

"To be honest, one of the things we thought about with Portugal would have been the fact that Ronaldo is a very special player, a very special talent. Of course he has been an unbelievably influential figure for all the clubs he has played for and Portugal as well, and we were thinking that Gareth Bale is in a somewhat similar position," he told reporters.

"So when we thought Portugal, we were thinking not only about their technical qualities and the fact they are a very good football team, but they also have a special individual. I believe now that might not be the case but we're happy with the two opponents we've had so far. They've certainly put us to the test.

"I've been able to use quite a lot of players in those two games and we expect another tough test tomorrow night. But if we can get through that test and come away satisfied with what we've done and I can be satisfied with what I've seen, then I'd have to say the three preparation games have served their purpose."

England's previous two warm-up games have resulted in 2-1 victories over Turkey and Australia.