Jordan Henderson thinks England could surprise a few and win the World Cup, with Leicester City’s unlikely Premier League success two years ago serving as inspiration.

The Liverpool captain joined up with his teammates ahead of Thursday’s friendly against Costa Rica at Elland Road, where he is expected to start in midfield.

Several players, including new captain Harry Kane, have said Gareth Southgate’s side are capable of lifting the trophy, and Henderson agreed that the Three Lions should be positive about their chances.

‘You’ve got to go in with the mentality that we can go all the way because we are good enough as a team,’ he said.

‘There have been a lot of upsets in sport. No disrespect but look at when Leicester won the Premier League. Not a lot of people would have said they could have done that.

‘That is just one instance. You’ve got to have belief in the group all the time and believe you can reach the heights.’

Henderson also opened up on losing the England captaincy to Kane, saying he received the call from Southgate four days before Liverpool’s clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

‘The manager rang me on the Tuesday in the week leading up to the final,’ said Henderson.

‘I wasn’t thinking about it [the captaincy] because of the final – that’s where my focus was. When the gaffer told me, I was just really pleased for Harry and he is a fantastic player.’

England get their World Cup campaign started against Tunisia on 18 June, before also facing Panama and Belgium.