World Cup 2018: England squad continue to show off their incredible team spirit in training ahead of Saturday’s third-place play-off with Belgium
Three Lions stars put the misery of the semi-final defeat to Croatia behind them as they laughed, joked and even held hands as they prepared to take on the Red Devils once more
ENGLAND'S heroic squad are continuing to show off their incredible team spirit, despite Wednesday night's semi-final heartbreak.
Gareth Southgate's 23 Lions suffered a devastating 2-1 defeat to Croatia after extra-time, with players quick to praise fans for their tremendous support.
But it will take more than that sole defeat to dent the morale of the tight-knit squad.
On Friday morning, England's stars were seen laughing, joking and even holding hands as they put in the hard-graft ahead of tomorrow's third-place play-off with Belgium.
Following the heart-wrenching scenes of Wednesday there were a number of question marks surrounding the fitness of a number of key men.
Harry Kane looked exhausted for much of the Sweden and Croatia games, while Dele Alli has looked only partially fit all tournament.
Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier also both limped away from the Luzhniki Stadium with niggles.
However, Southgate has been handed a major boost - even if he opts for another weakened side for Belgium - as all 23 Lions trained on Friday.
Ahead of the game, the England boss - who's captured the hearts of fans across the country - delivered a rousing speech.
Southgate claimed: "I don't think people fully understood the players [previously]. They care. They care about playing for their country. They have real humility.
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"They're on their way to being top players but they're not there yet but we can see we're progressing and really heading in the right direction.
"It's nice to be appreciated but it's about the team. It's about creating an environment to be best we can be, a professional culture.
"We have made a difference to people's happiness the last few weeks.
"We want to win the game [on Saturday]. The spirit of the group is really good.
"We’ve got to see who can go again and whether we need add some fresh energy into the team."