Tuesday 31 May 2016 22:10, UK
John Stones says England are "quietly confident" going into Euro 2016 and reckons they are contenders to win the tournament.
Stones was confirmed in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad on Tuesday as one of only seven specialist defenders and three full-time centre-backs in the list.
Having only made the standby list for the World Cup in Brazil two years ago, he is one of a handful of players set to taste tournament football for the first time, joining the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier and 18-year-old Marcus Rashford.
However, unscarred by past disappointment at previous summer competitions, the 22-year-old Everton defender is going in brimming with optimism.
"It's tough because you don't want to put pressure on it, but I'd like to think we're among the contenders," he told Everton's official website: "I've been saying we're quietly confident to people, but obviously all the big teams will feel the same.
"We've beaten France and Germany since we qualified, which is a big boost and something that will hopefully stand us in good stead if we come up against them at any point.
"If you're going to a Euros, you're going there to win it, because what's the point in not? We're proud as players and we want to make the nation proud too."
England play their final warm-up match against Portugal at Wembley on Thursday before they get their Euro 2016 campaign underway against Russia on June 11.
