England can ‘do something special’ at Euro 2024, says Declan Rice
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Declan Rice (left) with his England teammates Jude Bellingham (centre) and Phil Foden.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Declan Rice believes that England can “do something really special” at Euro 2024 as Gareth Southgate’s team jetted to Germany, following a royal send-off on June 10.
The Three Lions are among the favourites to win the European Championship, three years after falling agonisingly short in the final of the last edition at Wembley, where they lost on penalties to Italy.
Rice said there is a belief in the group that they can be crowned kings of Europe for the first time and at the same time win England’s first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
“We want to make history,” said the Arsenal midfielder.
“We say it all the time, but genuinely we have a group, a manager, who really believe. We have a confidence that we can go there and do something really special and, of course, with that comes hard work.
“That is going to be the main thing – the hard work as a team, unity, togetherness and with everyone behind us at home. We’re going to feel that for sure, so stick with us, be positive and let’s see what happens.”
The 25-year-old was speaking before heading to the airport from St George’s Park, England’s national football centre, where flag-waving children gave the team a lively send-off for the June 14-July 14 continental showpiece.
“We’re about to go and play a tournament for our country,” added Rice.
“It’s a privilege, an honour and it feels very real now. When you start to do things like this, it starts to feel real. You can have all the build-up in the world, but when you know you’re travelling and that, it’s proper now.”
Prince William, the president of the Football Association, travelled to St George’s Park on June 10 to wish the players luck and present them with their jerseys.
While things are looking positive for England, who kick off their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16, they suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Iceland in their final warmup last week.
They have also won only once, a 3-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, in their last four matches, since the final game of their European Championship qualifiers.
But Rice insisted the disappointment does not detract from what was a beneficial 10-day training camp.
“It’s obviously difficult when you (just) finish the league,” he said of a tough Premier League campaign in which Arsenal finished second behind champions Manchester City.
“Your body completely shuts down when you have a break, because we’re made to just play all the time.
“It’s hard to get going again, but last week was really beneficial for everyone. We’ve got another full week now until the game, so we’ll be in a really good spot.”
Euro 2024 will kick off when hosts Germany play Scotland in Munich on June 14. AFP
