Sam Allardyce emails England Euro 2016 squad to say hello

The new manager contacts players to 'introduce himself'

Tthe England football team, Sam Allardyce poses for a photograph with an England scarf (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

Sam Allardyce has contacted every member of Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2016 squad by email in order to introduce himself as England manager.

Allardyce is set to begin his reign as Hodgson’s successor when England travel to Slovakia for their opening World Cup qualifier on September 4. And having been officially unveiled as manager at St George’s Park ten days ago, Allardyce has now taken his first steps towards working with his squad by contacting each of the 23 players who travelled to France for the unsuccessful Euro 2016 campaign.

The former Sunderland manager has made it clear that he regards strong team spirit and clear communication as key factors for a successful England team. And the Burnley goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, one of the email recipients, admits that contact from Allardyce was a boost ahead of the World Cup qualification campaign.

“He sent a brief email today to say hello and to introduce himself,” Heaton said. “I'm sure he's got a lot on, but that arrived this morning, which was fantastic.”

Allardyce is set to name his first squad at the end of August, with the 61-year-old vetoing a friendly against Croatia at Wembley on September 1 in order to have more time working with his players on the training pitch ahead of the Slovakia game.

And while every member of the Euro 2016 squad was emailed by the new manager, it is understood that its recipients are not guaranteed to be selected for the Slovakia fixture, with Allardyce keen to assess his options during the opening fortnight of the Premier League season.