Now Gareth in full flight

GARETH SOUTHGATE will rack up the air miles over the next two weeks as he begins his World Cup preparations.

The England boss plans to take in a raft of matches at both the European Under-21 Championship in Poland and the Confederations Cup in Russia.

First stop for Southgate was the Polish city of Kielce to act as chief cheerleader when Aidy Bothroyd’s boys faced Sweden in their Euro opener on Friday night.

He said of his plane-hopping: “It enables me to get a feel for the stadiums, to see some of the top opposition and how they are approaching the games, and to watch them live as well.

“We’re seeing Portugal, Chile and Germany, so it’s worth going. And we will look at potential base camps.”