EDDIE Howe tipped Gareth Southgate to bring home the World Cup and admitted: “England excite me when I watch them now.”

A Three Lions squad with an average age of 26 headed to Russia and Howe labelled national boss Southgate’s decision to go with “the bedrock of youth” a shrewd call.

England – the third-youngest squad in the tournament – begin their Group G campaign by taking on Tunisia in Volgograd tomorrow (7pm).

And Cherries boss Howe feels Southgate’s troops have a strong case for a first World Cup success in 52 years, although he warned Germany – potential quarter-final opponents despite their loss to Mexico – could shatter the dream.

Asked for his tournament tip, Howe told the Daily Echo: "I'm going to back England because I always do and I find it very difficult not to.

"I think Gareth has done an absolutely brilliant job. He has brought in young players and changed the dynamic of the team.

"England excite me when I watch them now, which hasn't always been the case and I really hope they go well.

"Beyond England, you look at the likes of Germany, who I think will be strong due to their mentality and how they do things.

“They always seem to be close, so they are my two teams.

"The best thing I can say about what Gareth has done is that he's really backed young players.

"After every tournament, the media and the supporters tend to go away and say we need to start again with younger players and build the team up that way.

"That's never happened as far as I’m aware but Gareth has actually done that. He has bedded in young players and picked young players.

"That's not to discard the experienced players and say they are not right but he has gone with the bedrock of youth.

"Of course, his time in the under-21s would have helped that progression and using the right experienced players alongside that can result in a good balance.

"When I watched England in qualifying, I was excited by what I saw.”

Despite possessing a raft of internationals, Cherries have no player involvement at the World Cup.

Lewis Cook was put on standby for England while Jermain Defoe – who scored four goals in the season just gone – did not get the nod from Southgate.

The likes of the Netherlands’ Nathan Ake, Norway’s Joshua King, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Asmir Begovic and Scotland’s Ryan Fraser missed out as their nations failed to qualify.

Cook proved a close call after he became the first serving Cherries player to win a senior England cap when he came off the bench against Italy in March.

The 21-year-old captained England to Under-20 World Cup glory last summer and saw his stock rise during an impressive season in the Premier League, before securing success with England under-21s at the Maurice Revello Tournament in Toulon.

A £7million buy from Leeds two years ago, York-born Cook has represented his country at every youth level.