Yahoo Sport 
Harry Redknapp exclusive: England's class of 2016 can become European champions - they have nothing to fear
Ex-Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp insists Roy Hodgson has the best young squad he's ever had while powerhouses France, Germany and Spain are not the force they used to be
Harry Redknapp believes England have a squad ready to win next summer’s Euro 2016 finals in France.
In an exclusive interview with Yahoo, the tactician who was the strong favourite to take over as England boss before Roy Hodgson was handed the reins of power with the national team in 2012 has suggested the pessimism that tends to prevail around the England squad is misplaced.
In fact, he claims England will never have a better chance of ending their 50-year wait for a major tournament success after a sparkling qualifying campaign set them up for a crack at Europe’s elite next summer.
“They should be thinking about winning Euro 2016, absolutely,” BT Sport pundit Redknapp told Yahoo. “They have a great squad of players and when I look around at the opposition, I don’t see too much that should frighten them.
“Spain are not as good as they were, France are no great shakes, Germany have had a few problems since they won the World Cup a couple of years back, so England should go into the finals next summer believing they can win it.
“I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t get to at least the semi-finals, even though I get the impression in the media and among some fans that they are not as confident as I am about this squad Roy has to call upon.
“John Stones, Harry Kane, Dele Alli, they are top young players. They would get into any international side in the world right now, so why shouldn’t we be going into the Euros thinking we can win it?
“We have a set of players there that will serve us well for years to come. The Euros are not coming too soon for them, not at all. We should do well next summer.”
Redknapp’s bullish prognosis of England’s Euro 2016 hopes may lead some to conclude that he is applying a little friendly pressure to current boss Hodgson, while sending out a reminder that he could still be a contender to take over if it goes wrong next summer and yet he dismisses that suggestion.
“No, no, no. I’m not thinking about that any more. It will never happen,” was his swift response to our suggestion that he could be a contender to succeed Hodgson.
In fact, 68-year-old Redknapp also stated he is in no hurry to get back in the game, after his last managerial posting at QPR ended in a disappointing exit last year.
“I miss it sometimes, but it all depends where you are working whether it is enjoyable or not,” he added. “The time at Spurs was fantastic and I’d love to still be there if it was still going so well. We had great times at Portsmouth winning the FA Cup, but I am enjoying my life working with BT Sport now.
“I also love watching my local team Bournemouth and I’m convinced they will stay up this season. What a story that is. Eddie How has done a fantastic job to get the club in the Premier League and they would have finished mid-table this season if it were not for injuries to key players. I’m still convinced they will stay up this season.”
Follow Kevin Palmer on Twitter @kpsundayworld
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