Kyle Walker says he is hoping England can get a “little bit of payback” on Italy for the Euro 2020 final defeat when the two nations face off on Tuesday.
The Three Lions face Luciano Spaletti’s side looking to move a step closer to qualifying for Euro 2024.
Walker was part of the England side which lost out on penalties at Wembley back in 2020 and says the defeat is motivation heading into the clash.
He said: “We fell short that night. Hopefully we can get a little bit of payback.
“To do what we did in that special summer, to arrive so close. To concede a goal through a set-play when we’ve been so good it was devastating.
“At club level, I went to Porto and lost against Chelsea and then two years later we won the treble.
“People and teams evolve from that, I think you learn from occasions where you’ve been in finals and lose in finals, and setbacks and then you go on to achieve something great.”
Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate has insisted he will continue to keep picking Jordan Henderson despite the midfielder’s move to the Saudi Pro League this summer.
Henderson was booed after being subbed off in the 1-0 win over Australia on Friday but the England boss says that will have no bearing on his decision making.
“I’ll always pick the players that I think are the best player to represent the team, that give us the best chance of winning unless there is something that I feel is not appropriate,” Southgate said.
“In this instance, people may disagree with Jordan’s stance, or his decision, given the stance he’s taken in the past, to support the LGBT community. But I don’t think that’s a reason to not select him and I don’t think that’s a reason to boo him.
“If I just select on popularity contest, then our team would look very very different.”
