World NewsFriendly Is England's Moment of Youth - Hurst |
ENGLAND legend Geoff Hurst believes tomorrow's friendly against Germany will provide younger players with 'a great opportunity'.
The fixture in Berlin has been hit by a number of high profile withdrawals including Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.But Hurst, the hat-trick hero in England's 4-2 victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, is adamant it is not a crisis.
He told Setanta Sports News: "It's not a crisis because this is not a World Cup qualifier.
"I think it gives a great opportunity to some of the younger players in the squad to come in and show what they can do for England in a very big game against Germany.
"You can't start trying out or testing new players in a World Cup qualifier, even if it is against Kazakhstan."
Hurst admitted to getting annoyed when he hears the term "meaningless friendly".
"I understand the conflict between club and country," he said.
"But I don't believe in the term meaningless friendly. Go back to my time and there was never such a thing as an international friendly.
"Every time you pulled on an England shirt you would be judged by your performance and I think that's how it should be.
"There's got to be more consideration for the national team. The biggest thing that can affect our game is if the national team is successful and goes on to win European Championships and World Cups."
Copyright (c) 2009 Press Association
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