Hangeland: England already look worn out

Norway defender Brede Hangeland says that England looked tired during their 1-0 friendly win over his side on Saturday.

An Ashley Young strike ensured that Roy Hodgson got off to a winning start as boss and the Three Lions now have one final warm-up game against Belgium before they travel to Poland and Ukraine.

However, the Fulham man feels that the strains of the Premier League season are already beginning to show ahead of the tournament opener against France on June 11.

Hangeland told reporters: “It’s a good England team, but they look a little worn out after a long Premier League season.

“I felt the same thing. It’s not a good preparation for the Euros to play such a long and tough season as you do in England.

“Even if it was a friendly you could see that the English players need a break.”

The 30-year-old also expressed surprise at the amount of possession that his side enjoyed on Saturday and warned that it does not bode well for England’s chances this summer.

“It’s unusual that a Norwegian team has so much possession,” Hangeland observed.

“Normally we play defensively and wait for the opponent to make a mistake, but it was the other way around.

“We caused England problems when we played the ball quickly. If you play the ball quickly from right to left and from left to right, you get opportunities for crosses.

“Sweden have a good chance against them at the Euros because they have Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who can do something with all those crosses.”