Euro 2016: This young squad is here to do well and go far, says Rooney

)nly a point is required from tonight’s encounter against Slovakia to ensure safe passage to the last 16, having secured a memorable 2-1 comeback win against neighbours Wales days after the somewhat frustrating draw with Russia.

Roy Hodgson’s men were denied a deserved victory at the climax of their Group B opener in Marseille, where the line-up’s average age of 25 years and 293 days made it England’s second-youngest at a major finals.

Unfettered and uninhabited, Rooney is excited by the group’s potential and, while their best is yet to come, the captain is confident this summer’s championships can be memorable.

“As I’ve said before, we’ve got a very good, exciting squad and I think time will tell,” the 113-cap forward-cum-midfielder responded when asked to compare the squad to those of years gone by.

“I think we’re not going to get judged on what happens in this tournament – I think the players have got a lot of years ahead of them and this tournament will help.

“But we’re not here as a group of players for the experience, we’re here to try and do well and go far.

“But I certainly think over the next few years this squad can grow into a better team, a more mature team.

“At the minute, we’re trying to do as well as we can and we feel we’ve had a good start.

“We hope we can continue that and go into the later stages of the tournament.”

England certainly look to have a solid foundation on which to build, with the defence performing better than many expected and a talented midfield shored up by Rooney’s presence.

The 30-year-old’s first two appearances for his country in central midfield have been a success, partly down to England’s impressive attacking strength in depth.

“They’re great to have in the squad,” Rooney said of those options. “Everyone has seen the quality of players which we mentioned before the tournament.

“We have got a squad of 23 players and whoever the manager decides to play, obviously it’s his choice, we have players who can change games, which happened in the Wales game.

“It’s obviously great to try and create chances for the other players, to create chances for them players because, as this season has shown, they’re goalscorers. If they get chances, they will score goals.

“We know we’ve got good quality players who can score goals and it’s important that we try and get them the chances to get them the opportunity to do that.”

Today’s match looks a good chance to add more goals, given Slovakia have never kept a clean sheet in a major tournament.

The match also sees England return to St Etienne for the first time since the memorable last-16 clash with Argentina at the 1998 World Cup.

Michael Owen’s wonderful solo goal and David Beckham’s sending off punctuated a match that ended in a penalty shootout exit.

“I remember the game,” Rooney said. “I watched it in my nan’s house.

“Obviously Michael Owen as a young lad scoring a great goal and in the end the disappointment of David Beckham getting sent off.

“But I think it was a fantastic tournament to watch and great memories from it.”

Martin Skrtel, meanwhile, admits he would happily scythe down Liverpool team-mate Daniel Sturridge if it meant guaranteeing Slovakia’s progress at Euro 2016.

Skrtel has plenty of club colleagues in the England camp, which boasts five Reds, but is likely to come into closest contact with Sturridge.

The 26-year-old seemingly played his way into Hodgson’s starting XI with a match-winning display off the bench against Wales, pitting him against the 6ft 3ins centre-half who goes by the nickname ‘Terminator’.

Wth both sides chasing a place in the last 16, Skrtel said he would have no second thoughts about taking out one of his Merseyside mates if the moment came.

“We can be friends before and after the game. On the pitch, there are no friends,” he said.

“If you asked Daniel he’d answer the same. We try and do the best for the team.

“If that means having to kick him, then yes, of course,” he added.

“We know each other well, but it’s very difficult to predict a situation in a game. Every single game is different.

“We have to be ready for them, for him, and to try and eliminate their strengths and work on our own to be a success.”