Former England striker Michael Owen believes Roy Hodgson must look to attack if he wants his side to impress at this summer’s World Cup.

Hodgson has received wide-ranging praise for his decision to include a number of exciting youngsters in his 23 and although the Three Lions are by no means expected to win the tournament.

With England 33/1 with Paddy Power to win the World Cup, there appears to be a quiet optimism surrounding the squad.

Owen was arguably the last England starlet to make a meaningful impact on the World Cup, when as an 18-year-old he scored one of the greatest goals of all time in the second-round defeat to Argentina and is hoping some of the current vintage gets the same opportunities he was afforded in France.

“I believe Roy Hodgson is an attack-minded manager,” he told sportlobster.com. “He certainly has been with England, as there are goals in every game nowadays. We have fantastic attacking players and, like Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool, you must play to your strengths.

“We should try to outscore our opponents rather than play defensively and look to steal a win.”

England face an extremely tough task to even get into the last-16, with them due to face two countries in Uruguay and Costa Rica who will be more accustomed to the conditions in Brazil, while opening Group D opponents Italy’s ability to keep the ball will only help them in the searing Manaus heat. England are currently odds-on to qualify from their group.

With so much youthful attacking talent in the side, it seems only sensible that the Three Lions should try and impose themselves on their rivals, a trait that has been seriously lacking in recent tournaments.

The likes of Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana all have the quality to try and help Wayne Rooney finally justify his ability at a World Cup and Owen’s belief that England should attack is possibly justified, when you consider the comparative lack of options in defence.