Thursday 28 March 2019 17:07, UK
England manager Gareth Southgate believes his current squad are ideal role models for the next generation.
Raheem Sterling has been widely praised for drawing attention to the issue of racism in the football, while Harry Kane says he would be prepared to lead his England team-mates off the pitch should players be subjected to abuse in future.
Speaking at a promotional event for 'Fun Football', a participation-based programme for youngsters launched by The FA and McDonald's, Southgate praised his players for having a "social conscience".
"With this group of players, they understand that," he said. "They are very cognisant of the impact they can have.
"They know that kids that are growing up in the communities that they came from will look at the players, look at the pathway they went through, and look that there's an opportunity to progress in life.
"They will inspire as we were all inspired when we were younger to copy players we watched on television and model ourselves on the way they played.
"This group of players in particular take that as a big responsibility."
Southgate believes the England squad can use their significant presence on social media to inspire youngsters to take up football.
"It is great credit to the players, they seem to have that social conscience," he said. "A lot of work goes on at clubs with communities as well.
"Because the players connect a lot through social media, they can hit a younger audience with some of those messages and there is a chance to make a difference.
"They understand the opportunity they have to make a difference and I think they take that pretty seriously."
