Theo Walcott hails 'best England squad'

Theo Walcott has claimed that the current group of England players is the best he has seen since the beginning of his international career.

The Arsenal forward made his Three Lions debut in 2006 and has been a member of two quarter-final reaching squads at major tournaments.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Brazil, Walcott stated that the squad Roy Hodgson has assembled surpasses all of those he has previously been named in.

"[It is] the best that I have been part of," he told BBC Sport. "The players I am training with are absolute world-class players. It is a very good squad.

"It is a young squad that is eager to do well and we have a great manager [Roy Hodgson] and great staff."

England are currently sixth in the FIFA World Rankings.