Dyke sets England target of winning 2022 World Cup

In a lengthy and wide-ranging speech at a launch for journalists hosted by national team sponsors Vauxhall at Millbank Tower, Dyke laid out his vision for the future.

And, whilst the central theme of his speech was addressing the “frightening trend” of the reduction in the number of English players in the Premier League, he has also set the bar very high for the standard by which England need to be measured.

“The two targets I have for the England team are - one, to at least reach the semi-finals of Euro 2020,” said Dyke.

“Two, win the World Cup in 2022.”

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has already caused controversy, with Dyke himself calling for it to be moved to winter due to the extreme high temperatures during the summer.

The 2020 European Championships will for the first time be held at stadiums across Europe rather than in just one or two countries.

Dyke highlighted today what he sees as a “frightening trend” of young English players who are not getting the chance to play at the top level.

Dyke said the FA would be “letting the country and thousands of England fans down” if the problem was not remedied.

“English football is a tanker that needs turning,” Dyke added.

Dyke said the Premier League - of which he was part of the formation in 1992 - had become the most successful league in the world and he had no wish to “kill the golden goose in the search for the golden egg.”

However, he said the England team had “become the victim of unintended consequences”.

“Last season, 32 per cent of Premier League players were English,” said Dyke.

“Do we let the trend continue or do we do something about it?

“What happens when the number goes from 32 to 25 to 20 to 15? Do we still ignore the problem or do we act now?”