Southgate’s men could go all the way, insists Rodgers

BRENDAN RODGERS believes England are now serious contenders to lift the World Cup.

The Celtic boss has been glued to coverage of the finals during breaks from training at his club’s pre-season camp in Austria and admits he has been impressed by Gareth Southgate’s side, who face Colombia in the last 16 this Tuesday.

‘I think England have a very good chance,’ said Rodgers. ‘They have very good players, all playing at the top of the most competitive league in the world.

‘Gareth has done a great job with them. It’s the first (England) team in many years that has the comfort of building the game from behind.

‘They have good athletes in the team, are physically strong and want to press the game. They also have speed to counter-attack.

‘Colombia will be a tough game for them because they have a quality front four.

‘But get through that and England look at Sweden or Switzerland for a place in the semi-final. You never know.’

Rodgers has a working knowledge of several England players, most notably Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson, both key players during his time at Anfield.

He has been particularly proud to watch Henderson emerge as a leader in midfield, a continuation of the fine club form that took him to the Champions League final with Jurgen Klopp last month.

The midfielder was a year into his Anfield career when Rodgers was appointed in 2012 and, in the first instance, the Northern Irishman was prepared to let him leave.

He explained: ‘I remember having a conversation with Jordan when I first went to Liverpool. He had a tough first season at the club and an offer came in from Fulham.

‘I said it was up to him. I couldn’t promise he was going to play every game but I could promise him I would make him better.

‘He decided to stay because it meant everything for him to be at Liverpool. And from that, he got better and better and eventually I made him vice-captain and then captain.

‘Gareth has a very good squad, real strength in depth. I know some of the players. I took Danny Rose on his first loan when I was at Watford.

‘Young Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a young player when I was at Chelsea, a big talent.

‘Ruben is 6ft 4in, built like a centre-half but has the mobility and skills of a topclass attacking player.’

Despite rating England’s chances, Rodgers ultimately suspects the winner of the tournament may hail from South America.

‘Brazil will be hard to beat,’ he says, ‘but if England get through the next game against Colombia, then they have a big chance of getting to the semi-final.’

As for the Video Assistant Referee, he admits he is a fan — even if its SPFL advent is a long way off.

‘I was sceptical of it when I saw it in some of the games down south,’ he admits. ‘I felt it could spoil football. But to be fair to the officials, it has, in the main, worked very well at the World Cup.’