Ashley Cole speaks on his England experience

LA Galaxy captain Ashley Cole has discussed his journey with the England national side whilst giving an outlook on the current Three Lions squad. The 37-year-old is widely regarded as one of England’s finest full-backs and the veteran has now spoken about the honour of representing the national team.Speaking to MLSsoccer.com, he said: “As a young kid, you never dream of getting one cap or making it as a professional footballer, let alone representing your country at a World Cup. [I've got] great memories, great memories.”

Meanwhile, Cole believes the current squad has a good chance of winning the World Cup though they may require some luck along the way, he added: “It looks good on paper, you know. But when you're playing in World Cups and European Championships, it's different. I hope they've got that mentality to stick together, and when the luck's not going their way, they stick together. With the quality they have, they have a good chance.”

England have certainly gone through a transition from the previous World Cup in Brazil where they were shockingly ousted in the group stage. Unlike back then, the Three Lions now have a deadly goalscorer in the form of Harry Kane leading the squad whilst the goalkeeping side of their game has also been strengthened with Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland providing more assurance between the sticks.

Nevertheless, their true quality may only come on display at the 2018 World Cup where they have the pressure of the nation behind them. On paper, England should at least reach the quarter-final of the World Cup with ease based on the opposition they have been pitted against but stranger things have happened with the Three Lions, who often fail to show up on the big stage. England’s previous major tournament was the European Championship in France where they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to minnows Iceland.