LONDON: Steve McLaren, who takes over the England manager's job after the World Cup, has said the team he will inherit is due a big prize.

"I've not inherited a squad of ageing players, 30-plusses. These are players in their prime, at their peak," said McClaren.

"They are aged 24, 25, 26, and 27, in the maturing years. They can carry on for the next four years. That's why I'm excited."

He expects England to shine in Germany this summer and likens Sven-Goran Eriksson's team to the one he walked into at Manchester United when he became Alex Ferguson's assistant manager.

"The key thing is these players have been gaining and gathering experience over the last four years and the last two tournaments.

"They will take that into this tournament in Germany, the knocks, the bumps, the disappointments and it's similar to when we won the European Cup with Manchester United.

"Sir Alex said the five or six previous years, getting knocked out in the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and all those heartaches were all part of the team's development into winning," McClaren said.

"Eventually you win and that's what I believe about this squad. That's what excites me. I've developed with this squad and I believe it can go further and improve."

The 45-year-old looks back on his move from Derby to join Ferguson at Manchester United in 1999 as the defining moment of his coaching career.

McClaren said: "It was going over the threshold.

"It was fantastic fun working with Jim Smith at Derby but it was going to the next level, working with the top players in the country and Europe, being involved in the top games, which gave me the self-belief and confidence and so on."

Once again, he is happy to admit luck played a part because a hungry and ambitious team had already been forged at Old Trafford and they went on to win the treble in his first season.

McClaren said: "I was lucky with the timing at United because the players had gone through the developing years into what I call the achieving years."

He was talking about the golden crop from the youth ranks, which included David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs with Roy Keane as captain and Peter Schmeichel in goal.

McClaren said: "When you go into a new job you look ahead.

"You have to look to what's there and ask: Can it develop? Can it improve? Can it win a tournament?

"The best thing about the best players is they always want to improve.

"In club football it's different because you can bring in players but with England it's more difficult.

"I've worked with them for five years and I know what's underneath them. I know they can get better. That's exactly the same situation I went into at Manchester United. They were ready to win."

McClaren had tougher days as Middlesbrough boss. He lost his first four games as manager in 2001 and, this season, went nine Premiership games without a win.

The heat was on as the Boro boss endured a 7-0 hammering at Arsenal and a fan threw his season ticket at him during a 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa.

But he made it out of the rut and on Wednesday, he will lead the Teessiders into the UEFA Cup final against Sevilla.

McClaren said: "I looked at it and thought, if I get through this I'll be stronger and I have."

(China Daily 05/08/2006 page6)