England Euro 2016 team profile: Wayne Rooney role casts shadow over Three Lions ambitions

World ranking: 11

Best European Championship finish: Semi-final, 1996

How they qualified: Finished top of Group E with the only 100% record in qualifying, earning their place thanks to a 2-0 win over Switzerland with two games to spare.

Fixtures: Russia (11 June), Wales (16 June), Slovakia (20 June)

Squad -

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, Fraser Forster, Tom Heaton

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Nathaniel Clyne, Chris Smalling, John Stones, Gary Cahill, Danny Rose, Ryan Bertrand

Midfielders: Jordan Henderson, Jack Wilshere, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, James Milner, Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley

Forwards: Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge, Marcus Rashford

Expectations: A squad bulging with a raft of attack-minded youngsters shepherded by the country's leading international goalscorer is a formula few nations would dismiss, but as ever with England the positives come with numerous caveats. The Three Lions cruised through their qualifying group and have beaten world champions Germany on their way to France, but there remains uncertainty over the make-up of the team and their tournament approach.

The greatest question is against captain Wayne Rooney, who surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton as England's most prolific marksman against Switzerland last year. The Manchester United forward has regressed badly in the last year and is no longer an automatic choice in attack for his club. There are concerns his continued presence with the national team is undermining the talent around him. Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli are among those waiting to be unleashed in France, but they are yet to discover a synergy to suggest they can co-operate effectively.

Manager: Roy Hodgson – A coach with a wealth of club and international experience continues to be given the responsibility of harnessing the undoubted talent around him, but for how much longer? After a last-eight exit on penalties four years ago and the worst World Cup display for over half a century in Brazil, Hodgson must produce something to show from four years of graft in order to win a new contract. Victory over a second-string Germany in Berlin last March is as good as it has got.

Prediction: Quarter-finals – Failure to finish in the top two in a group containing Wales, Russia and Slovakia would see them pitted with either Germany or Spain, but a more likely scenario is England progress comfortably but are tripped up come the knock-out phase. Old foes Portugal will await them in the last eight, as will an inevitable penalty-shoot out exit.