Kyle Walker says England are now close to winning a major tournament (Vibe With Five)
Kyle Walker believes Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal has played a key role in boosting England’s Euro 2024 hopes this summer.
Rice joined Arsenal in a £105 million deal from West Ham last summer and has played an integral part in Mikel Arteta’s side this season as they remain in contention to win the Premier League and the Champions League.
The 25-year-old is set to be a pivotal figure for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions at Euro 2024 this summer and Walker feels the midfielder’s improvement at Arsenal can help England take more control in key games.
In a conversation with former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand on Vibe With Five, Walker was asked where he would ideally play Phil Foden before City’s right-back praised Rice.
‘I like him [Foden] in the middle, I do like him in the middle, No.10,’ Walker said.
‘Especially how I think he could benefit England with B [Bukayo Saka]… Declan, being at Arsenal now is massive.
Declan Rice is set to be a key figure in England’s midfield at Euro 2024 (Getty)
‘I’m not saying he wasn’t a very good player at West Ham but knowing how, possession-based football, I think we got to certain phases, especially in Russia [2018 World Cup] when [Kieran] Trippier scored and then in the Euros when Luke [Shaw] scores, we score too early and don’t control the game.
‘Where now I feel, especially in the last two fixtures, we scored, we were winning, and we played in their half still.
‘Before it was we scored against Croatia in Russia and they just ran over us with experience. And against Italy it was, ‘right, just hang on and pray’.
‘But once you get that many corners and that many good attacks with international players.
‘If you don’t do that process, if you start making it a transitional game, flip a coin and see what happens.’
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Asked if France are England’s biggest threat to winning Euro 2024 this summer, Walker replied: ‘I’d say on paper, yeah.
‘But you know what it’s like to go to a tournament, with pressure, with the team that we’ve got and not really do something, it’d be a shame.
‘I think, rather than your [Ferdinand’s] generation, the ‘Golden Generation’, this is probably the closest thing I’ve felt being from the squad from when you were there to now, this is the closest I feel that we’ve come to making that step in the right direction.’
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