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ENGLAND

England "have reason to be optimistic" - Mourinho

England have reason to cry, but also reason to be optimistic after their World Cup semi-final exit, says the Manchester United boss.

England "have reason to be optimistic" - Mourinho
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José Mourinho believes England have cause for optimism following their 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia.

Young England side knocked out by Croatia in semi-finals

Kieran Trippier gave England the lead in the fifth minute in Moscow but Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic broke English hearts as Croatia came for behind to progress after extra time.

England had the second youngest squad at the tournament, with an average age of 26 years old, with key players such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling all under 25.

The country's Under-20 and Under-17 squads won their respective World Cups in 2017, and Mourinho sees a bright future for the Three Lions.

Mourinho praises improvement shown by England team

Speaking as a pundit for RT, Mourinho said: "England have reason to cry because they were so close, but they have also have reason to be optimistic.

"The team improved a lot in relation to previous appearances. It's a young team, the majority of the players will play in the next World Cup with more experience at club level.''