Ange Postecoglou and Roy Keane's assessment of England following draw with Slovenia becomes talking point

Ange Postecoglou and Roy Keane have given their take on what England must do to succeed at this summer's European Championship.

Gareth Southgate's side will face either the Netherlands or the third-placed Group E team on Sunday after topping Group C.

They secured their place in the knockout stages with two draws and a win – an underwhelming set of results that has concerned many England supporters.

So, what must they do to succeed? After the full-time whistle in Cologne, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou thinks England must ignore the critics and focus solely on the game ahead.

"It's natural for the players to feel hurt when criticism comes their away," Postecoglou told ITV.

"But if they want to break that cycle, you can't repeat what's happened in the past. Gary said that before. They've been through it as players themselves. There's no point reflecting on what happened 10, 15 or 30 years ago, it's what's happening to them now."

Postecoglou also encouraged Gareth Southgate to use the young players at his disposal after Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer impressed in their second-half cameos against Slovenia.

"I don't think they [young players] need protection," he said. "They just need to be thrown out there."

He added: "It's always a tough one with young players... your nature as a young coach is to try and ease them into things but every now and then, there's a young player that comes along and they're just bashing the door down and you've just got to let them through.

"I'm sure 12 months ago, Mainoo, Wharton and Cole Palmer were not in Gareth Southgate's top 40 players for this Euros. Now, they could end up being his key players."

Postecoglou was full of praise for Palmer. “Every time he has got the ball, he is looking to eliminate opposition. Whether that’s individual players or lines of the opposition," he said.

"When you have a player like that, irrespective of how the opposition is set up in a defensive sense, he will always find that gap and find those spaces. His first thought is how can I eliminate one of the opposition or line of the opposition.”

Image credit: Getty

Keane, meanwhile, gave his assessment of how England can progress at this summer's tournament in Germany.

"They need to simplify things and focus on the next game," the former Manchester United midfielder said.

"England have a group of unbelievably talented players but that doesn't guarantee anything. You need a bit of luck, and the team need to come together. You need your strikers turning up. They've not quite done that yet, but they're going along nicely."