Trent Alexander-Arnold has dismissed the notion that England are in the easier half of the World Cup draw.
Gareth Southgate’s much-changed side lost 1-0 to Belgium meaning they finished second in Group G.
They now face Colombia in the second round and if they get through that game Sweden or Switzerland will be their quarter final opponents, instead of five-time winners Brazil or Mexico.
But Alexander-Arnold believes the other 15 teams are in the knockout stages on merit.
He said: “In a World Cup you’re going to come up against the best teams in the world.
“Every team who has got to the round of 16 has deserved to, so there are no easy games that we can see ahead of us.
“[Colombia] will be very tough. If you look back to the last World Cup, they did unbelievably well.
“They have shown in this World Cup that they can bounce back from a defeat and win games.
“They won their group so it’s not going to be easy at all.
“We’re fully focused.”
The Liverpool defender, 19, made his World Cup debut against Belgium and impressed with his forays down the right-hand side as well as with his set-piece delivery.
And he was disappointed that he could not help England get the point they needed to secure top spot in the group.
He added: “[Belgium] controlled a lot of possession.
“We had our chances but never took them. Equally, they had one big chance and took it. It was a good goal.
“We came into the game wanting to win. We’re England and we want to win every game possible.
“But at the end of the day we are still in the round of 16 and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”
England’s second-round clash against Colombia will take place in Moscow on Tuesday 3 July and you can watch it live on ITV 1.
