Jenkinson: England's Euro confidence well-founded

The Arsenal defender has been a regular for Gareth Southgate’s side throughout qualifying for the trip to Czech Republic and in the warm-up games since.

And with the attacking talent within the squad, coupled with Jenkinson’s defensive colleagues and a footballing midfield, the 23-year-old can’t wait to kick-off against Portugal on Thursday.

"We’re going into the tournament with confidence and I don’t think we have to fear anything if we play to our potential," said the former West Ham United loanee.

"We have a very good team and, attacking wise, we’re going to score goals.

"We’ve got Harry [Kane], people like Saido [Berahino] and Nathan Redmond, who can all score goals and people like Danny Ings on the bench so we’ve got goals in the team.

"We’ve got a back four with a few of us who have played regularly in the Premier League and our midfielders can all play and are very good on the ball.

"We have no reason not to be confident and when it comes to the proper stuff and it’s tournament time now, that’s when it really matters."

Since last October’s play-off win against Croatia, the Three Lions have enjoyed positive results against fellow Finalists such as Germany, host nation Czech Republic and Thursday’s opponents, when Jenkinson was among the scorers in a 3-1 win in Burnley.

And now that the competition is about to start, with more outside focus and attention on the Finals, the ex Charlton Athletic youngster reckons the group are more than prepared to handle the pressure.

Jenkinson scored against Portugal in the 3-1 win at Turf Moor last November

"It’s more of a mentality thing now, we’ve got to go and do it on the big stage," he added.

"I think there will be a lot of people watching this tournament and taking an interest in it.

"We’re aware of the pressure and the expectation for English players is very high.

"That’s something we’ve got to look to thrive on, to go and make a name for ourselves as a team and as individuals.

"A lot of us play in the Premier League for teams where there is pressure on you, so I don’t think it will be an issue really and it’s something we’ve got to use to our advantage."

The squad has remained largely consistent throughout Southgate’s reign so far, which started with the first game against Moldova in September 2013.

And with a record of 15 wins from 17 games, it’s been an enjoyable spell for the Essex-born right-back.

"We’re a very close-knit group and it’s good to play in a time like this where everyone gets on well and wants to play together," he explained.

"We all want to play in the tournament and people are really looking forward to it.

"There are big players in this team who could maybe have a different sort of attitude, but that’s not the case and everyone is in it together and singing off the same hymn sheet.

"I’ve been playing with them for a couple of years and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This will be my last U21 tournament and set of games with this team, so I want to go and make the most of it and I know the other boys do as well."