Howard Wilkinson believes England’s run to the final of the European Championship for the first time in their history is proof the ‘Charter for Quality’ he introduced to develop players and coaches is working. But Wilkinson, a former caretaker of the national side and the last English manager to win a top-flight title in England after leading Leeds to First Division glory in 1991-92, reckons there is plenty of reason for optimism. “We did not lose the game, after 120 minutes the result was 1-1, we lost a penalty shoot-out,” Wilkinson told the PA news agency. “Our international player and coach development strategy is working and hopefully Gareth will go away, rest, relax recuperate, want to continue and finish the job. The academies are now working really effectively.”

Source: Express July 12, 2021 19:18 UTC