Rice: This is the best England squad in a long time, that's a fact

Declan Rice captained England to a thrilling 6-4 victory over France in Miami.

"This is the best England squad we've had in a very long time. That's a fact. No one can take that away from us."

England's exhilarating 6-4 win against France secured the Three Lions a bronze medal at the World Cup – their best finish since lifting the trophy in 1966 – leaving Declan Rice firmly convinced that major tournament success is "close."

Despite criticism of Thomas Tuchel's tactics following their painful semi-final collapse against Argentina, interim captain Rice was quick to praise England's overall tournament effort.

He added: "I think we can be proud as a group – we're just gutted to have lost that semi-final."

We're tired of saying we're proud to reach semi-finals and quarter-finals – ultimately, we want to win with England. But finishing third in this tournament is a real achievement.

We are so close, honestly. Over the last few years, there's been a lot of talk about this group falling short in tournaments. There have been exits in semi-finals, quarter-finals, and finals.

I think we need to keep pushing. I truly believe it's close. It's a game of fine margins. This is football, and the other day, we lost because of the details and the actions in both penalty boxes," Rice shared.