England must back up qualifying performances – Walcott

Theo Walcott says England must back up their impressive record in qualifying with a strong showing at Euro 2016.

The Arsenal forward opened the scoring on Friday as Roy Hodgson’s side cruised to a 2-0 win over Estonia at Wembley to extend their 100 per cent record in the group.

England can make it 10 wins out of 10 against Lithuania on Monday but Walcott has warned it will count for little if the team do not deliver in France next year.

“We have to be proud of ourselves,” he said. “Having nine wins after the disappointment from the World Cup and bouncing back the way the players have done – the backroom staff have changed things and things are working for us. This team is definitely hungry and eager to do well.

“We want to make it 10 on Monday night. It is a nice little thing to have – we want to win every game but we will be more tested in these friendlies coming up [against France and Spain in November] and everyone wants to win competitions and make this country proud.

“There are some young, eager faces in that dressing room who are keen to do well but we are only going to be judged when it comes to tournament football.”