The England squad were presented with their World Cup shirts by the Prince of Wales as they were given a special send off before flying out to Qatar.
The Prince of Wales was surprise visitor to St George’s Park on Monday and told the squad: “What you and Gareth have built here is something special, that’s clear to see.
“Play for each other, support each other, enjoy it, and I’m sure you’ll go far ... the rest of the country is behind you. We are all rooting for you. Enjoy it.”
Captain Harry Kane received his No9 shirt first in a special private event.
From Jordan Pickford to Conor Gallagher, each player received a presentation box as they were presented with their shirts after England confirmed their squad numbers for Qatar.
Addressing the players, Prince William said: “What you and Gareth have built here is something special, that’s clear to see. “Play for each other, support each other, enjoy it, and I’m sure you’ll go far.”
England manager Gareth Southgate said: “It was a nice moment to be with the group and Prince William, who has been a huge supporter of ours. I know how passionate the players are about their country and it was great to see what it meant to each of them as they came forward. As staff and players, we are all so privileged to represent England and we are excited to see what’s possible together. We want to make the fans proud again.”
England are scheduled to fly out to Doha on Tuesday morning, after which they will complete a light session before serious preparations for the opener against Iran on Monday get under way at their Al Wakrah training facility on Wednesday.
England fly to Qatar with a clean bill of health after all 26 members of the squad came through the last round of Premier League fixtures before the tournament unscathed.
James Maddison had an injury scare and Raheem Sterling was ill at the weekend but both are fine.
Maddison, Sterling and the rest of the squad report to St George's Park on Monday.
