Declan Rice (right) admitted he had goosebumps when England manager Gareth Southgate gave a speech (Picture: Kieran McManus/Shutterstock)
Declan Rice revealed he got goosebumps when Gareth Southgate spoke to his squad before leaving for the World Cup.
Rice is set to start on Monday as England play Iran in their Group B opener, just over a week on from the final round of club matches.
‘The moment we got to St George’s Park, that’s when it hit me we are going to a World Cup,’ he said.
‘Because of the Premier League, there’s not been that chance to switch our mindset.
‘When Gareth spoke, it was goosebumps stuff. This is a World Cup, what a privilege. To finally be here is so special.’
Real reason why Ivan Toney was left out of squad
Ivan Toney of Brentford was left out of the England squad due to football reasons (Picture: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
The Football Association has insisted Ivan Toney was left out of England’s World Cup squad solely for football reasons.
Toney has been charged with breaching betting rules but FA chief Mark Bullingham said: ‘He was available. He was not chosen on footballing grounds.’
MORE : World Cup 2022: Who is Lauren Fryer and how long has she been with Declan Rice?
MORE : Teddy Sheringham urges Manchester United to ‘pay over the odds’ for Harry Kane and Declan Rice
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‘To finally be here is so special’