Stuart Pearce insists that his England Under-21 side are not favourites for this summer’s European Championships, according to Sky Sports.
The Young Lions will head to Israel this summer in top form, having won their last eight matches – including a 3-0 victory over Romania last week – without conceding a single goal.
But boss Pearce believes that England should concentrate on progressing from a tough group – which includes hosts Israel, Norway and Italy.
Pearce said: “I don’t fear what’s in front of us. I won’t be putting unnecessary pressure on the players…We’ll give the players a great experience.
“We hope they can take this country as far as they can – all the way to the final. But we will only be favourites in England. It is going to be a tough group for us.”
The 50-year-old’s side finished top of their qualification group for the championships, having seen off the likes of Norway and Belgium, the latter of whom gave England their only defeat.
England’s Under-21s reached the final of the European Championships back in 2009 but were convincingly beaten 4-0 by Germany in the final.
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