FORMER England boss Peter Taylor feels Gareth Southgate’s side could beat anyone at the European Championships this summer.

The Three Lions provisional 33 man squad was announced today.

And the Benfleet based Taylor, who bossed England back in 2000, is confident the current crop will be among the main contenders this time around.

“There are a lot of countries out there who would prefer to be in Gareth Southgate’s situation,” said Taylor.

“If we win our first game or the group they will grow in confidence.

“The coaching team will have them together longer than they normally would which means they benefit and we could beat anybody, I really do think that.

“We now have people like Harry Kane who is one of the best strikers in the world so we know we have class players who can do it when it matters most.

“We’ve got some excellent players now and Gareth has shown he’s not afraid to stick them in.”

But Taylor – who played for Southend United before also returning to manage the Shrimpers – feels Southgate has shown he is willing to leave out bigger name players.

And he is surprised to see Tottenham Hotspur Eric Dier miss out.

“I’m a little bit surprised about Eric Dier not being in,” said Taylor.

“He can play in different positions and he’s experienced as well.

“Jordan Henderson has had some injuries, meaning we’ve only got Declan Rice as a defensive midfield player now.

“Hopefully that must mean Gareth is confident Henderson is going to be fit otherwise I think he would’ve put Dier in.

“But you’ve certainly got to be a good player to be in this squad and you’ve got to keep doing it too.”

And Taylor feels that is why Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli has missed out.

“Dele Alli unfortunately for Tottenham has had a disappointing end to the season and he’s now not in things like this,” said the Rochford born Taylor.

“But if you don’t do it you don’t get in the best teams and England is certainly one of them “It’s lovely to see the likes of Ben Godfrey at Everton coming in though.

“The young players are good for tournaments because they come in with great confidence and they’re still as fit as a fiddle too like it’s the first game of the season.

“But I’m very disappointed for the goalkeeper Nick Pope.

“I was thinking he was really going to push Jordan Pickford so I’m a bit gutted for him.”

England's initial 33 man squad will be trimmed down to 26 at the start of June.

The Three Lions face Austria and Romania in warm up fixtures before starting the European Championships against Croatia on Sunday June 13.

England will also face Scotland and Czech Republic in the group stages of the competition.