Gerrard issues England rallying cry

England captain Steven Gerrard has urged his team-mates to have no regrets when the final whistle blows in their FIFA World Cup opener.

Roy Hodgson’s men face Italy in Manaus on Saturday, shortly after Uruguay and Costa Rica have brought the curtain up on Group D in Fortaleza.

And Liverpool midfielder Gerrard has revealed what his final words will be before stepping out onto the controversial Arena da Amazonia playing surface.

“I will say something in the dressing room, towards the end when we are ready to go out, and it will be: ‘Let’s not have any regrets’,” he is quoted as saying by the Anfield club’s official website.

“All the preparation has been done. The squad that’s been picked is very bold and brave. Let’s believe we have all the energy and all the work in the legs and in the tank.

“So now let’s relax and let it happen. The key is just to not come off the pitch with any regrets and, basically, do what it takes to get that result.

“I will be proud leading this group of players out against Italy.

“I trust them and I believe in my team-mates, but I will be even prouder if we come home from this tournament with our heads held high, knowing we have gone out onto the pitch and given everything we have got for the English public back home.

“And, looking at the lads and being in and around them, I get the impression they are ready to give everything they have got.

“It is here now. All the distances and the miles we have covered, the heat preparation, we have done all that. There are no excuses now. It is time to walk the walk.”