Gareth Southgate put England squad on rations in ‘brutal’ military camp which left Harry Kane stunned

Gareth Southgate has instilled the sort of team spirit in the England camp that can only be inspired by the military.

Having taken charge in September 2016, Southgate had been boss of the senior team for less than a year when took the Three Lions by surprise.

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Reporting for their end-of-season meet-up after a gruelling 2016/17 campaign, England’s stars got a shock when a team of Royal Marines burst into St George’s Park and told them to give up their mobile phones and board a bus to the base in Lympstone.

Players were allowed to make one phone call to tell loved ones that they wouldn’t be in contact, before being stripped of official England tracksuits and issued with military gear, a 21kg backpack and boots.

Discussing his initial thoughts, Raheem Sterling said: “To be fair, at first I was not interested. I was thinking: ‘Oh my goodness gracious me!’ In my head, I was: ‘No! No!’ Because you just know what the Marines is!

“I’ve gone off to play football, come to camp with no knowledge [of what lay ahead] and all of a sudden you’re getting this Marines thing and you’re thinking: ‘Nah, not today.’”

What followed was a trek across the Devon hills followed by a night under the stars and a 5am start as England’s stars were issued a requirement to complete the Marines’ obstacle course.

They then took part in a sheep dip – an exercise where you’re submerged in water and dragged through a tunnel in one of the most traumatic of military training exercises.

In the end, Sterling ended up loving it, saying: “They made everything fun but at the same time there was structure, teamwork and you kind of understood throughout the sessions what we were doing there.

“It was like: ‘That’s my brother next to me, that’s my other brother next to me.’ We’d have good fun and laugh when we were camping or chilling on the down time.

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“And then, when it was go time, there was teamwork and you understood how that associates with football.

“A lot of players have our own agendas and that was a massive part in making everyone understand we’re all in this together first and foremost and the reason is to come away with a World Cup or a major trophy.

“I felt like it was another stepping stone that brought everyone closer together.”

Harry Kane also discussed the experience, saying: “It was a fantastic few days. Some great memories that will be with me forever.

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“It helped the whole squad get to know each other. We had no phones for three days, we were camping in the woods. That helped us, not just as a team. It helped us become closer.

“We did a camping thing where we learned to put up our own tents and had the rations the Marine guys have when they’re going to war.

“We woke up at sunrise and did a trek with all the stuff on our backs. Then we did an obstacle course. That was fun, although I think they left out some of the tougher parts.

“We had to follow the Marines. Whenever they shouted ‘down’ we had to crawl in the mud, though stones and the sheep dip.

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“So we were all soaking wet, with sand and mud everywhere, and we thought we were going to get in a car and go back to camp, until they told us we were walking back – which was another hour on the road. That was probably the hardest part, it was mentally tough.

“Then we got back to the place we were staying. I was looking forward to a nice, hot shower and it was just a bit of water dripping out. It was just brutal.”

Joe Hart, Fraser Forster, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jermaine Defoe were among the former stars involved.

Meanwhile, Kyle Walker, John Stones and current England captain were also involved – as was Southgate who led from the front by taking part in the gruelling regime.

Shortly after their trip to Lympstone, Kane was handed the England captaincy for the first time as they faced Scotland at Hampden Park.

Discussing the experience, the now-Bayern Munich star believes that their experience with the Marines is what convinced Southgate to give him the armband,

“I remember that trip very clearly,” he said.

“We had a fantastic time and I think Gareth did use that to see who stood out in terms of leadership.

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“Leadership comes in many ways. It isn’t just the guy in the front shooting the paintball. Maybe the way I got on with the Marines and the way I handled certain situations.

“I know that Gareth asked some of the Marines afterwards who they thought were natural leaders, who were approachable and who other players were leaning towards to talk to. Things like that.

“I think that might have helped in me becoming captain.”

Kane will be leading England as they head for Euro 2024 in Germany this summer.

While their headquarters – a secluded, 96-room luxury resort in Blankenhain near Leipzig – will be markedly different to their time at Lympstone, Southgate and Kane will be desperate to channel that camaraderie to lead them to glory.