Bertrand: England want to match Euro 2016 expectations

Ryan Bertrand is hopeful England can live up to expectations at Euro 2016.

England are considered by some as one of the genuine contenders for glory in France, despite their last major tournament success being the World Cup on home soil in 1966.

Southampton left-back Bertrand has been included in Roy Hodgson’s preliminary 26-man squad for the European Championship and he wants to see the team deliver.

“I think we know what’s expected of us and we hope we can live up to that expectation, but we’ve all been that fan once upon a time, applying that pressure to the team,” said Bertrand.

“We know we’ve always got that expectation from our fans but that comes from having a proud country and we just hope we can justify that.

“The dream of everyone is to win it. Within the camp we haven’t really sat down and thought about that, we’re just taking it game by game and making sure we put in good performances.”

Bertrand believes England are a team others will want to avoid at Euro 2016, the 26-year-old claiming Hodgson’s side have what it takes to triumph.

“We’ll definitely be one they have an eye on and rightfully so,” he said.

“We’ve had some fantastic performers in the league all year round and hopefully we can continue that and things will look up for us.

“We’ve got players who’ve been right at the top this year and been there consistently so we’re blessed in that sense. Hopefully we can cause some trouble.

“We are capable of winning it but that goes for a lot of other teams in the competition. It all comes down to who wants it more.”