England captain Steven Gerrard hailed the inspirational effect of St. George’s Park and claimed: “There’s no better place to come to work.”

The Liverpool midfielder believes investing in the new National Football Centre proves The FA is doing everything possible to give future England teams an opportunity for international success.

Gerrard said: “We’ve got the best stadium in the world and now we’ve got the best training facilities, so we’re taking away all the excuses that the players may use in the future because this place is awesome.

"There’s no better place to come to work."

The Reds hero, who has represented England at a variety of levels, reckons future generations cannot fail to be inspired by the surroundings.

He added: “I played for England at U16, U18 and Under-21 level and we travelled to different places around the country.

"I still enjoyed those experiences but I would have loved to come to this place as a young boy to improve my game.”

The walls of St.George’s Park are decorated with images of footballing legends and inspirational words from a variety of sporting icons.

And Gerrard stressed that the environment and setting is crucial to the preparation and development of young players.

He added: "When you’re a young kid you want to come to places like this and see the legends up on the wall and the players you aspire to.

“Whether you are eight-year-old boy or an adult, it is an unbelievable place to come to, to learn, to grow and to improve, and hopefully one day you can achieve your dream.”

Watch video from the St. George's Park press conference in the Media Gallery above.