"In football, things change day-to-day," the former Atletico Madrid captain said at Spain training. "We have shown we're going to be among the top teams. Manchester United have begun poorly, Chelsea drew with us and the important thing is that we haven't been beaten.

"Premiership football is attractive, end-to-end. The games begin at a very fast pace, it's difficult, but great for the fans.

"The atmosphere is different. English fans are not better or worse than in Spain, just completely different. You need to go to a game, when they're all singing and their respect for the opposition."