Euro 2016: World Cup-winning hero Sir Geoff Hurst claims England and Wales have a great chance to prove what they can do in this summer’s tournament
England legend says both sides have a superb chance of going deep into the European Championships this time around
ENGLAND'S World Cup-winning, hat-trick hero from the 1996 World Cup - Sir Geoff Hurst - reckons England and Wales both have a great chance of going deep into the Euro 2016 tournament.
The Three Lions legend, 74, added he's thrilled to see the Home Nations so well-represented at a major tournament.
Hurst claims the clash between England and Wales could be a nervy encounter - as they always have been - but insists both teams have enough quality to progress from the group.
He said: “It’s great when the Home Nations are all involved in a major tournament. It’s great seeing Northern Ireland and Wales involved.
“Going back to the old Home Nations tournament, they are always big and nerve-wracking games.
“I’d love to see that [competition] come back, but there’s no chance of that with the huge congestion of fixtures.
“And what we don’t want for our national team is any more games – which are essentially friendlies – not a serious competition like qualifying for the Euros or the World Cup.
“We want to give England as good a chance as possible to have success in a big tournament.
“Wales have got a good chance [of getting out of the group].
“They’ve qualified and have got a good a chance as anybody else. They seem to have a good team spirit, Gareth Bale talked about the camaraderie, so you’ve got to think Wales are going to get through.
“That would be extremely healthy for football in this country.
“They haven’t been around for a long time and apart from England, if I were to follow anyone, I would say Wales…
“…Once England have played them of course!”
Hurst was particularly confident regarding England's hopes, saying Roy Hodgson's has proven his intent by picking a young, bold squad.
He added: “I’m always very hopeful going into a major tournament – I’m a very positive person.
“I think England can be very successful. They’ve got a very good bunch of players in the squad.
“It’s the youngest squad since 1966 and we’ve got a very good attacking line-up.
“No one can accuse Roy [Hodgson] of not being negative, particularly with the inclusion of Marcus Rashford.”
Hurst dismissed the notion that 50 years without a major tournament win could weigh heavy on the shoulders of the squad, claiming there are plenty of reasons to be positive.
He said: “There’s a lot of talk about expectation, but we can’t talk about it being 50 years [since we last won a major tournament].
“We’ve been close a number of times, like in the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96.
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“The players just need to go out with a good attitude, and like Joe Hart said the other day, be more ruthless.
“We want to see some good performances, not what happened two years ago in Brazil.
“Two games and out was bitterly disappointing, but one or two of the older players who were around then won’t let that happen again.
“That can only be positive, with a good young side that we’re going to do well.”
When it comes to the XI on show, Hurst is keen to see Hodgson deploy Rooney in a deep midfield role, with Dele Alli playing just off Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane, with Jamie Vardy providing a spark off the bench.
Hurst said: “For me I would look to put Wayne in a similar position to the one he played for Man United in the FA Cup final.
“He was a bit deeper and his attitude is always going to be good, he’ll play anywhere.
“I think in terms of fitting him in, I would put him in a deeper position and I would certainly play Dele more forward.
“Him being closer to Kane is important as they form quite an important combination.
“Having club level team-mates around is important as Martin Peters and I showed [in 1966] with some important contributions in that tournament.
“I’d agree [that Vardy could be a stronger option off the bench].
“If Hodgson does start with one up front, it’s probably going to be Kane.
“Vardy coming off the bench if needed with about 30 minutes to go can be very, very dangerous.
“He’s already had a good start to his international career, scoring a three or four goals already.
“He’s a very dangerous guy to come on, but they will build the team around Kane to start.”
England kick off their Euro 2016 tournament against Russia on Saturday night.
Sir Geoff Hurst was speaking at the Goldsworth Park Football Festival, one of hundreds of McDonald's Community Football Days taking place across the UK this summer giving thousands of children access to free fun football. To find your nearest event visit www.mcdonalds.co.uk/communityfootballdays