World Cup

Steven Gerrard: 'Stupid, naive to say England will win World Cup'

By Danielle Joynson, Staff Reporter | 19 May 2014

Steven Gerrard admits that it would be "stupid and naive" to say that England are going to win the World Cup in Brazil this summer.

England captain Steven Gerrard has insisted that he is under no illusions that the Three Lions are among the favourites to win the World Cup this summer.

Manager Roy Hodgson has focused on youth in his 23-man squad for the tournament, which gets underway on June 12 in Brazil.

Gerrard, who narrowly missed out on lifting the Premier League title with Liverpool this season, has praised the inclusion of youngsters Luke Shaw, Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley.

While the 33-year-old believes that England are down the list of realistic contenders to win the World Cup, the midfielder is adamant that the team will give everything to succeed.

"It would be very stupid and naive of me to stand here and say 'yeah we're going to win it'," BBC Sport quotes Gerrard as saying. "What I can guarantee is that we will go there and give 100%.

"There are some top teams around the world all fighting for the same thing, but all we can do is try and stick together, work hard and see if we can prove some doubters wrong."

England will kick off their campaign with a Group D clash against Italy in Manaus on June 14. Uruguay and Costa Rica complete the group.