McClaren upbeat about England’s chances

STEVE McClaren is convinced England have a genuine chance of returning from Portugal this summer as European champions.

The Middlesbrough manager will once again assist Sven-Goran Eriksson at next month's Euro 2004 finals after being asked to step into the gap left by Brian Kidd's cancer scare.

McClaren was part of the coaching team which steered England to the World Cup quarter-finals in Japan and Korea two years ago and he is confident the 23-man squad, which will fly out to Sardinia on Sunday to begin its preparations in earnest, has what it takes to succeed.