Ashley Young says England are full of confidence heading into their Euro 2012 opener with France on Monday.
New boss Roy Hodgson has begun his regime with 1-0 victories at Norway in Oslo and Belgium at Wembley, with Young scoring the decisive goal against the former.
And the Manchester United star thinks the way England approached those games has given the squad cause for optimism ahead of their Group D opener with Les Bleus in Donetsk.
‘Everybody in the squad is feeling confident ahead of that game and I’m sure if we can go out there and create the displays we’ve shown in the last couple of games, we can go out there and get a good result,’ Young said at Saturday’s press conference.
‘If you look at the two games we’ve had under him (Hodgson), the organisation has been different to previous games and I think it’s helped.
‘The two 1-0 wins were good wins, especially the way we kept our shape and managed to get ourselves forward and get the goals. I think it’s going to be important to do that on Monday.’
Young revealed midfielder James Milner and full-back Martin Kelly missed this morning’s training session with minor ailments.
But everyone else participated in the closed-doors training session, including striker Jermain Defoe, who returned to the England squad after going back home on Thursday morning following the death of his father.
‘It was a normal training session,’ Young said. ‘We went out and worked on a few things. It’s about preparation for the game on Monday and we prepared in the right way.
‘Milly’s got blisters and Martin Kelly had a bit of a migraine last night but they were the only two that didn’t take part. Everyone’s fully fit for Monday and looking forward to the game.’
Young was quick to point out the team are working towards one common goal and there are no egos within the camp.
‘Everybody’s helping each other out,’ he said. ‘Everybody talks to each other, whether you’ve got something to say, whether you’re a youngster or a senior then you’re able to say it. We’re a team and we want to go forward and everybody’s pushing in the right direction.’
The 26-year-old former Watford and Aston Villa midfielder highlighted Wayne Rooney’s contribution.
The striker is banned for the first two games of the European Championship but Young insists his presence in the camp is a positive one.
‘He’s a world-class player and it’s disappointing not to have him for the first two games but we’ve got to get on with it,’ added Young.
‘He’s been in the squad, keeping everyone happy, and that’s the importance of having him round even though he’s not playing the two games.’
Since Euro 96, England have arrived at every tournament under huge pressure to succeed.
Not so this summer but Young said: “There is no point coming here not believing we can win it.
‘The squad is full of confidence. We have three tough games but, if we apply ourselves properly, I am sure we will do very well.’
Young revealed both James Milner (blisters) and Martin Kelly (virus) sat out training today but was confident the whole squad would be ‘fully fit’ by Monday.
Saturday also saw England welcome back Jermain Defoe, who returned home on Thursday following the death of his father.
But, once again, their preparations were overshadowed by the controversy over the omission of Rio Ferdinand, with Young’s United team-mate quoted as saying he feared his international career was over.
Young was confident the 33-year-old still had an England future.
He said: ‘Of course. He has said he is not going to retire. He is a fantastic player.’
by Sportsmail
