England captain Steven Gerrard has admitted that England players have to "behave" after they were introduced with a code of conduct.

Incidents involving Ashley Cole and Ryan Bertrand had threatened to disrupt England's preparations for their match with Poland on Tuesday evening and Gerrard has insisted that there is "no excuse" for bad behaviour away from the pitch.

"We know we have to behave and there is no excuse anymore. It's about focusing on getting things right on the pitch," he said.

"We received the code of conduct in booklet form and had a meeting about it. We've not spoken about it. It is common sense. It is important we do behave away from the pitch."

Gerrard will return to the England starting lineup in Poland after missing Friday's 5-0 win against San Marino through suspension.

Written by
Darren Plant