Eoin Morgan says England have the ability to win the Champions Trophy

Eoin Morgan says England have the "ability and confidence" to claim Champions Trophy glory on home soil this summer.

England have yet to win an ICC 50-over tournament but performances have been much improved since a disappointing showing in the 2015 World Cup.

They start their build-up towards this summer's big tournament when they take on Ireland in the first of two one-day internationals on Friday, live on Sky Sports.

And Morgan is looking forward to what he thinks could be an excellent summer for England's limited overs squad.

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The England captain told Sky Sports News HQ: "I am extremely proud of the team, where we have come from in the last two years, and the confidence we have built.

"We have tried to build a culture around the team that allows guys to go out and express themselves, play with a no-fear aspect to the game.

"We were a long way behind the eight-ball in regards to where the very best were and where we were.

"It has been an amazing ride so far, but we are only coming up to the halfway stage.

"The Champions Trophy in June is something that we are really looking forward to. We have earmarked it as a good gauge to see where we are at as a side.

"The goal is always to win, and I certainly think we have the ability and the confidence in the side to win that tournament.

"We have done some fantastic things against some very good sides."

England players are beginning to make more of an impression in the Indian Premier League, led by Ben Stokes, who made a brilliant match-winning century for Rising Pune Supergiant on Monday.

Looking towards the next World Cup, Morgan thinks the England side will benefit from the extra IPL experience within their ranks.

"That's a huge step towards our success in 2019," he added. "We have been behind trends in the past, I think at the moment we are about level par.

"Ben Stokes almost sets a new trend as an English player."