At last a meaningful contribution to the national cause by Steven Gerrard. His reopening of the Golden Generation debate with, of all people, Rio Ferdinand, a key member of the hated (at least on Merseyside) Manchester United politburo, has significantly reinforced Thomas Tuchel’s team first message at next year’s World Cup.

Gerrard, holder of 114 caps, is one of the great English footballers of any generation, a player who left an indelible stamp on the national pastime if not the national team. Gerrard self-identified as one of many egotistical losers in a Three Lions squad that turned individual talent to collective mush.

The divisions along traditional Premier League fault lines, bitter rivalries between the alpha clubs, were, Gerrard argues, just too big to overcome. The unity that

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