Stevie delight at new England base
Steven Gerrard admitted he was taken aback by the sheer quality of England's state-of-the-art-training base St George's Park after it was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge yesterday.
The Three Lions skipper joined the rest of the national squad as Roy Hodgson's men moved into their new 330-acre headquarters for the first time ahead of World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland.
And Gerrard outlined how the site near Burton in Staffordshire can help bring success to the national side in the decades to come.
"The place has blown me away," said Gerrard. "All the lads are buzzing to be here. We're lucky to have facilities like this. It's a long-term plan and hopefully it can bring success to the national teams.
"Now we've got the best stadium in the world and the best facilities. We're taking away all the excuses the players might use in the future.
"You can still play on the street but this is England, where all the main teams play, and I'd much rather come here and play football than play on the street."