England unveil their £413 M&S suits... then ditch them before they even get on plane!
SUITED and booted, the England squad certainly know how to look smart.
But it didn’t take long for sartorial standards to slip.
These sharp suits made exclusively for them by Marks & Spencer, and modelled by the players on Monday, were soon packed away in their luggage.
And as the team arrived in St Petersburg, they strolled off their private jet in matching tracksuits.
In previous years the England squad have posed for a team photograph in their team suits after they touch down. This year, the official photo was taken on Monday when the players posed in their M&S outfits. The three-piece suit, along with shirt, tie and shoes, costs £413 and is available at stores for fans keen to emulate their heroes.
But when the squad set off for Russia in their private Boeing 757 yesterday they were dressed for comfort – in team tracksuits and trainers. There was no photocall as they emerged from the jet at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport and boarded a coach, which bore the hopeful slogan ‘Send Us Victorious’ and took them to their hotel base in Repino on the outskirts of the city.
Manager Gareth Southgate said yesterday: ‘If we play with a smile on our face, we enjoy our football and enjoy being in a tournament, then we will get results.’
The England squad’s home for the next few weeks will be a 117-room complex at the £104-a-night ForRestMix hotel. Their first game is on Monday against Tunisia.