Thursday 14 July 2016 13:32, UK
Former captain Steven Gerrard says he is confident that better times are ahead for the England team and fans.
The LA Galaxy midfielder thinks there was a "huge fear" among the squad at Euro 2016 but that the young team will improve from the experience.
The FA is looking for a new manager - and have interviewed Sam Allardyce for the role - after Roy Hodgson left his post following the 2-1 loss to Iceland in the round-of-16 in France.
And Liverpool great Gerrard, who played 114 times for his country, has backed the FA to find the coach who can deliver an upturn in results at major events.
Speaking to Virtual Reality company Laduma about England's efforts at Euro 2016, Gerrard said: "I was disappointed, I had high expectations.
"Through the qualifying, they performed really well. They looked solid, they put in some terrific performances and, going into the tournament, I fancied them to at least get to the last eight and also have a push to the last four.
"They started reasonably well, they came out of the blocks really strong against Russia (who equalised late on to salvage a 1-1 draw), they just never got the results and never performed to what they are capable of.
"I think everyone's sort of healing from the disappointment of the tournament but what I can say is the FA and the players and the new staff coming in will get it right.
"It will improve and it won't be too long before the fans are smiling again, that's what I believe.
"I believe in looking forward and trying to improve things and I've got every confidence that everyone involved trying to make it improve, will make that happen."
Gerrard thinks, ultimately, exiting the tournament in such a disappointing fashion could help England's inexperienced squad in the long run.
"There's a huge fear in amongst the group at the moment," Gerrard added.
"The expectations are very, very high. It's a very pressured situation to be a England player, the media coverage is huge.
"The expectation is huge and there's a very young set of players there who are not used to that pressure but they will be used to it in years to come.
"This experience and this hurt, I think, will help all of those players moving forward, because they won't want to experience it again.
"They will want to improve and get better and I think, with the right manager and the right coaching staff around this group, I think they can take it to the next level."
