Stewart Downing opens up on dream Liverpool move and playing under Gareth Southgate

David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes … England’s midfield during the mid-noughties was special, to say the least.

Few of the Premier League 's finest homegrown talents had a chance of breaking into the national team’s midfield during this time, which says a lot about Stewart Downing's ability.

The 35-cap international was part of England’s so-called "Golden Generation" – representing his country at the World Cup in 2006, a tournament they were tipped to win.

But they crashed out to Portugal in the quarter-finals, just as they did at Euro 2004. Many still wonder how the Three Lions never got their hands on a trophy during that era.

"I probably didn’t feel it [the pressure] as much as the so-called 'Golden Era' – the [Wayne] Rooneys, the Lampards and all of them who were at their peak at the time," Downing tells .

"I was only 20, 21 around the time of that World Cup in 2006. For me, just getting in the squad and trying to get minutes – trying to get on the field – was my goal.

"But I think for them players, they had a lot of pressure on them to win because of the stature they had in the game. They were all at their peak, world-class players.

"I just can’t believe that we didn’t win anything with that team – it was unbelievable, especially the starting XI – but things went against us.

"In the World Cup [quarter-final], Rooney obviously got sent off – we probably would’ve went on to win that game if we kept him on.

"In 2004, just before me, he [Rooney] had an injury... if he stays fit, we’d have probably won the tournament because he was one of the best young players in the world at that time.

"I think you need a little bit of luck on the way – and we probably didn’t get