THIS ENGLAND SQUAD ARE MOST UNITED I HAVE KNOWN

KYLE WALKER’S tweets yesterday morning showed that for the first time in a long time, England have players who are just as passionate to play for their country as their clubs. One of the biggest problems for England over the last 20 years has been dressing-room cliques. Previous England sides may have had more talented individuals than this one but how can you expect to generate unity if club rivalries are allowed to exist and spread within the squad? I experienced it with the national team. Manchester United were the best side in England but it gave their players an ‘us against the world’ mentality. It meant that they would sit together when we met up with England and nothing was done to stop it. Contrast that with the celebrations on the pitch after last week’s quarter-final against Sweden when Manchester City’s Walker and John Stones danced alongside United’s Jesse Lingard. In a few weeks’ time, those players will be locking horns once again in the battle for the Premier League title but at the World Cup they were able to put that rivalry to one side and share in England’s success. Gareth Southgate deserves immense credit for this. He has identified what the supporters want: a group of players without egos who will play with passion and pride. This young team, led by Harry Kane, have been brilliant ambassadors. This may not be the best England team but it is the most united group I can remember. England fans have bought into what Gareth is trying to achieve. Opponents may not have liked hearing ‘It’s coming home’ but it summed up the hope and enjoyment of watching England in Russia. Walker has urged England to keep this unity alive. To do that, the players must keep putting their country first. When Southgate names his next squad in September for matches against Spain and Switzerland, I want to see players hungry to pull on the shirt — not a long list of withdrawals. I cannot remember the last time watching England was this much fun. Long may it continue.