Sturridge out to 'do a Germany' after U21 finals

Daniel Sturridge is determined to use the European Under-21 Championship to break into the senior England side next season.

Several of Fabio Capello's current squad made the step up after starring at previous tournaments and the same is likely to happen following this month's finals in Denmark.

With many of England's recent performances leaving much to be desired, the next three weeks look like being an ideal opportunity for the next generation to prove they are ready to help revive the national team's fortunes.

Sturridge is arguably at the front of the queue, with the Chelsea striker having enjoyed a stellar second half of the season on loan at Bolton.

He has also scored in his last two England Under-21 appearances, including yesterday's 2-0 win over Norway in the final warm-up friendly before Sunday's European Championship opener against Spain.

Sturridge said: "At the last tournament in Sweden two years ago, the Germans had four or five players who went on to play in the World Cup.

"It just shows that if you have a good tournament with the under-21s, it can be the platform to get into the full national side.

"I'm sure a lot of players will have that in the backs of their minds."

Winning the European Championship would help Sturridge and his team-mates in that aim.

England are the continent's number one-ranked team and will be expected at least to match the runner-up finish they managed two years ago.

Sturridge said: "Without any pressure on us, we can do well.

"The most important thing is to enjoy it and not have any pressure of people saying we're going to win it."

Their chances would have been boosted further had Jack Wilshere, Andy Carroll and Micah Richards not pulled out of the squad.

But Sturridge said: "The players with us are more than capable of doing the job.

"It's important for us to keep the camaraderie we've had over the last six months.

"With the way we've been playing and training as a unit, I think we'll be fine.

"It would have been great to have Jack and Andy travel with us. The same goes for Micah Richards.

"They have all helped us qualify but the large bulk of the players in the squad are the ones who got us to Denmark."

Wilshere withdrew over fears he may suffer burnout after playing more than 50 games for club and country this season.

Sturridge has no such concerns over fatigue, saying: "I'm feeling okay. At the start of the season, I was more of a substitute for Chelsea and then, in the second half of the season, I was playing 90 minutes every game for Bolton."

Indeed, Sturridge has reaped the benefit of regular first-team football and the 21-year-old does not want to go back to sitting on the bench at Stamford Bridge.

"Playing at Bolton helped me a lot," he said. "When I was at Chelsea, I was low on confidence because I wasn't getting the opportunities.

"Playing first-team football was all I wanted. I got that at Bolton.

"And, next season, it will be important for me to get those first-team opportunities.

"I feel it will take my game to the next level."