Test: England will face Sweden on Friday

‘I’m relishing the opportunity. I don’t want to keep shifting in and out but it’s not down to me, it’s down to the manager. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.’

There is an easy confidence about Welbeck. He is comfortable in these surroundings; comfortable with the pressure that comes with playing teams such as France and Sweden here at the European Championship.

‘You try not to think too much about it,’ he said. ‘When you’re on the pitch you want your mind on the game, not the occasion.

‘But this is something I’ve worked towards since I was a little kid. You want to be playing games at the highest level and now that I’m here I’m really proud. I want to develop my game and go as far as I can.’

His response to being selected for Monday’s encounter with the French was not one of fear but of ‘excitement’.

‘Once you’re called up for the squad your mind is set,’ he said. ‘You know, if you’re called upon, that you’re ready. When the manager named the starting line-up I was more or less ready for it.

‘I’ve been playing for England since I was 14 and it felt like a  natural progression to step up to the senior side. I played Under 16s, Under 17s, Under 18s, 19s and then 21s. That step up to the seniors was a privilege but it also felt like a natural progression.’

« Previous123Next »