Former England captain David Beckham is backing Roy Hodgson's squad for a long World Cup run.
Hodgson has selected a youthful party for the tournament with the likes of Southampton duo Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw, Everton's Ross Barkley and Liverpool's Raheem Sterling complimenting old heads like skipper Steven Gerrard and Chelsea stalwart Frank Lampard.
"I think it's a really good selection. I think Roy has done really well since he's come in as the manager of England," Beckham told Sky Sports News. "It's a great job to have but it's a tough job.
"You've got players that are playing at the top of their game and I think what he's done is pick players that are at the top of their game.
"They're young players, they've had great seasons. People have been saying it for years about players coming in to a big competition like this - it's not about that anymore.
"These young players have been playing in the biggest league in the world this season and quite a few seasons so there's no players that are going to go on to this stage and be affected by it because you've got players that are playing, week in and week out, against some of the best players in the world and in the biggest league in the world and for some of the biggest clubs in the world.
"You've got a captain like Stevie G (Gerrard) that has had one of the best seasons probably for him and that Liverpool have had for quite a while.
"You've got players like that that are well respected by the young players and that the young players will want to play for.
"So I think that we can cause a few upsets and a few surprises but obviously we have a tough group but there is no reason why we can't go really far in this competition.
"You're coming up against a great team, the Italians, they always perform well in World Cups. They've got great players and a great history but that can be a good thing for us.
"We always perform well against the big teams and it doesn't get much bigger than this."
