Women Air Jordan 1 The 26-year-old has scored four goals playing up front for Arsenal this season, but on Friday he will be deployed as one of the wide men in a front three containing Kane, and possibly Raheem Sterling.
Much has been expected of Walcott since his shock inclusion in Sven-Goran Eriksson's 2006 World Cup squad at the age of 16, but, other than a memorable hat-trick against Croatia in 2008, the Gunners forward has enjoyed few successful performances in an England shirt.
"He has all the things an England player needs, but he's had an awful lot of injuries, so it's been a stop start career," said Hodgson, who was without the former Southampton player at the 2014 World Cup due to a knee injury.
"Sometimes he's been there, sometimes not. Since coming back from the latest injury and having a chance to start a few games for Arsenal, he's shown the qualities he has.
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"We want to tap into those qualities. We hope he does for us what I've seen him do for Arsenal."
Like Walcott, Michael Carrick has had a stop-start international career.
A four-year gap separated his second and third caps under Eriksson, and he never held down a regular berth in the teams of Steve McClaren or Fabio Capello.
Women Air Jordan 13 Hodgson recalled Carrick after the World Cup, but he has since missed three squads through injury and had to pull out of two more for the same reason.
Despite missing England's final training session on Thursday with a tight groin, the 34-year-old will start against the Estonians.
Women Air Jordan 11 "He's been unlucky on a couple of occasions when he's been pencilled in to play, but he's had to leave us with injury," Hodgson said of the Manchester United midfielder.
"Jack Wilshere has played in a central playmaker role, getting hold of the ball and starting the play we want to see, and Michael Carrick is very similar.
"We believe he can."
Women Air Jordan 4 Becoming the only nation to qualify with a 100 per cent record would look good on paper, but Hodgson knows the real test for his men will come in the friendlies against Spain, France, Holland and Germany before Euro 2016.
Hodgson does not care if he is putting England's world ranking - and seeding for France - in jeopardy by pitting his young side against such tough opposition.
"I'm pleased the friendly games can be matches we can lose, which might see us sink even further down the rankings, rather than wins against teams which won't teach us everything we need to learn," he said.
"We are putting an awful lot of responsibility on the shoulders of young men like Chris Smalling, Harry Kane and John Stones.
Womens Air Jordan "They are very exciting players, but they need these games to get a taste of what we need to be like if we are going to be successful in a tournament."
