8 months ago
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Sven-Goran Eriksson has named the one player from England's current lineup that he would have loved in his own 'Golden Generation' squad.
The former England and Manchester City manager revealed he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and that he has 'at best a year' to live.
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Eriksson, who managed the Three Lions between 2001 and 2006, spoke to Alan Brazil and Ray Parlour on talkSPORT Breakfast where he reflected fondly on his time as England manager.
Eriksson led England to three major tournament while in charge of the Three Lions.
His star-studded squad were dubbed the 'Golden Generation' and recorded a famous 5-1 victory over Germany in a 2002 World Cup qualifier.
But when asked which player from Gareth Southgate's current England squad he would have loved to have had under his own management, the 75-year-old took a moment to consider his options.
He told talkSPORT Breakfast: "Wow! I'm not sure about that. But I would probably take a striker.
"We had good strikers, very good strikers, but if one of them got injured at that time, we struggled to find one with the same qualities."
Eriksson had Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney at his disposal but rarely more than one superstar striker at any one time.
And there was one striker in particular that Eriksson was particularly enthusiastic about.
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When co-host Parlour suggested Harry Kane, Eriksson replied: "I would take (Harry Kane) at once."
And Kane was not the only England superstar that Eriksson had praise for.
When asked about what he made of Jude Bellingham, Eriksson heaped praise on the 20-year-old.
He said: "I have seen many Real Madrid games now, and he's a star. Just after a couple of weeks he became a big star in Madrid and that's not easy."
During his tenure as manager, Eriksson led England to the last-16 of the 2002 World Cup, before being knocked out of both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup in the quarter final stages.
But he believes the current England squad have the ability to go all when Euro 2024 kicks off in Germany this summer.
He said: "Southgate has a fantastic squad. The next big tournament in June, I think England has a good chance of winning it."
Eriksson added that the sheer depth in quality was one of England's greatest strengths.
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He said: "A lot of good players, and if one or two are injured - touch wood - he can put in others, and you will not notice a difference. Very, very strong team. Difficult to beat.
"You have a lot of good teams, but I can't see any team stronger than England in this moment."
