Southgate urges England to improve knockouts record as he ponders Mount decision

Gareth Southgate has urged England to grasp the opportunity to put the Three Lions poor Euros knockout record behind them but does not feel the omens will have a negative impact on the team.

England have never won a Euros knockout match in 90 minutes, with four of those six games going to penalties – only one of those (v Spain, Euro 96) ended in a victory for the Three Lions.

It is a damning indictment of England s underachievement in the tournament throughout its history.

While Southgate believes his young team have a great chance to overcome such a poor record, he also feels the players should not feel any extra pressure because of it.

It s an incredible record really, Southgate told reporters on Monday. I think it s something we ve talked a lot abou…