Paul Ince has strongly refuted suggestions that England possesses its strongest squad ever heading into Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate has assembled a highly talented squad for this summer’s tournament, with record goal-scorer Harry Kane set to lead the charge once more. The team includes standout players like Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Declan Rice among others. Despite these credentials, some voices have argued that this current group represents England’s peak squad in history.
However, former England star Ince disagrees vehemently. In an interview with Bet365, he expressed his dissent: “The notion of England having their best-ever squad? It’s simply not the case. It’s completely absurd. If you look back at squads from the past, take 1990 for example, and examine the quality of players, particularly in midfield,
“No disrespect intended, but in the current squad, there are players like Adam Wharton with limited experience, Kobbie Mainoo, and Declan Rice. In 1990, we had Bryan Robson and Paul Gascoigne. In more recent times, we had midfield maestros such as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. These were exceptional, world-class players.”
In addition to disputing the squad’s historical ranking, Ince also attributed the altered public perception to a perceived decline in international football standards.
He elaborated: “I believe many people base their assessments on recent tournaments, such as the squad that reached the semi-finals in 2018 and was defeated by Italy. They perceive this as a very strong squad.
“But we must consider the caliber of opposition we faced in ’96 compared to today. The landscape has changed significantly. The overall standard is not as high as it was in our era.
“Think about players like Gheorghe Hagi of Romania. Back then, numerous world-class talents filled international football. Today, when you look at players like Nicolo Barella of Italy, it’s not quite the same as facing Paulo Rossi or Marco Tardelli.
“While England certainly boasts a formidable squad, suggesting it’s the best of all time is entirely unfounded.”
England kicks off their Euro-2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday, followed by matches against Denmark and Slovenia in group stage.
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