Euro 2016 Q&A: Mystery Jets’ Kapil Trivedi believes Marcus Rashford and England will impress in France

The 2016 European Championships are very much underway and it has been addictive television viewing ever since France’s opening 2-1 victory over Romania in Paris last Friday night.

But with home nation trio; England, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus neighbours the Republic of Ireland, all in action this summer too, Shoot decided to get some tournament tips and predictions from famous musicians.

Today’s feature is from the Mystery Jets; whose brand new single ‘Bombay Blue’ is out on June 24, with drummer Kapil Trivedi talking to Shoot about his EURO 2016 thoughts…

1. How far do you think England can go at Euro 2016?

“I think this is a very exciting squad, with the average age of 25, its the youngest squad we’ve had going into a tournament. We have some of the best forwards in what is the most competitive league in the world. So with that in mind, I think we can go all the way!

“But realistically, we’ll probably get knocked out by Germany on penalties in the semi-final!”

2. Which English player are you most excited to see at this summer’s tournament?

“The English player I’m most excited to see this summer is Marcus Rashford!

“What a story, 18-year-old local Manchester lad, debuts for his boyhood club in February, ends up making the England squad five months later, and scores on his England debut in under 140 seconds!”

3. How much of an impact do you think the likes of Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli can have for the Three Lions given their impressive Premier League campaigns? 

“I think we’re all expecting big things from the holy trinity of Kane, Alli and Vardy, and with Rashford thrown in, you’d hope there’s no shortage of goals! The worry is at the back, defence isn’t the tightest we’ve had.

“We should credit Roy Hodgson as he saw the talent in Vardy and included him in the squad last summer whilst Leicester City were battling to stay out of relegation.

“The season after England inclusion, Vardy becomes the top Premier League goalscorer in consecutive fixtures, scores against Germany and Holland for England, and then goes on to win the Premier League!

“YES Hodgson, smashed it!”

4. Should Wayne Rooney start for England?

“I think if Rooney’s, fit he should start! I know there’s a lot of talk about his fitness and giving priority to the in-form players. But with the balance of the squad being on the side of youth, his experience will be very helpful in key moments.

Mystery Jet’s Kapil says Rooney deserves a starting place in England’s EURO 2016 squad, if he is fit – Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

“He also had a great game for Manchester United in the FA Cup final, Rooney was instrumental in them winning that match. So yes in my opinion, he should definitely start!”

5. Which player, who missed out on the 23-man squad, would you like to have been included in England’s Euro 2016 squad this summer?

“I think England have a very strong squad, so I don’t feel as though we’re missing anyone.

“There are loads of great players who played extremely well for their respective clubs that didn’t make the cut. Mark Noble, Marc Albrighton, Jermain Defoe and Theo Walcott.

“There is of course Andy Carroll, who has the ability to come on as a late substitution and turn the game around if things aren’t going our way! I think not having Danny Drinkwater was the only mistake.

“He’s had an amazing season, and he clearly has a great understanding with Vardy. I think he really deserved to have a place in the squad.

“What does a guy have to do to catch a break? Jeez!”

6. Do any of the other home nations (Wales, Rep of Ireland, Northern Ireland) have a hope of progressing to the latter stages? 

“I know this season has been full of surprises, but let’s not get carried away! I don’t think Wales, Scotland or Ireland will win the tournament anytime soon, even though Wales have a decent squad with Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale.

“Not sure they quite have what it takes to go all the way!”

7. Who do you think will win the Euros?

“I see a Germany-France Final. If this happens, the French should nick it as they’re playing on home turf.

Kapil predicts France midfielder Pogba could prove to be one of the tournament’s top performers this summer – Photo: Offside / IPP.

“They have a pretty great squad, with Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet, N’Golo Kante, Antoine Griezmann and Anthony Martial. With a squad like that, they’ll be hard to beat.”

8. Who are you expecting to be the player of the tournament?

“You never know who the player of the tournament will be, it’s always a surprise. Best bet is Pogba [France], but there are many others.

“Martial, Rashford, Hector Bellerin, Romelu Lukaku… We’ll just have to wait and see.”

9. Which player do you think could emerge as a young star?

“Rashford is definitely a young star in the making, but it all depends on how much playing time he gets.

“I’m not sure he’ll start many games, but he could be great tool off the bench, late on in the game when the opposition is getting tired.”

10. Who do you think will be the top scorer at the Euros?

“The title of top goalscorer could easily go to Thomas Muller or Griezmann. But wouldn’t it be nice if Kane or Vardy ended up as top scorer?

“What a way to top off Vardy’s season. We would of course need to get quite far into the tournament, so keep your fingers and toes crossed!”

Details:

Website: www.mysteryjets.com
Twitter: @mysteryjets

Listen to Mystery Jets’ new album, ‘Curve Of The Earth’ now at: www.mysteryjets.com

Plus, check out their upcoming brand new single, ‘Bombay Blue’, which is out on June 24…