Gary Neville believes England have been handed a 'hell of a draw' after their last 16 opponents were revealed to be Slovakia, though he insisted the side will be a 'stern' test for the Three Lions.
Gareth Southgate's side were ultimately rewarded for finishing top of Group C, despite uninspiring performances which drew heavy criticism from fans and pundits.
Ahead of the final day of group stage action at Euro 2024, England's most likely opponents in the next round were the Netherlands. However, due to the competition's convoluted set up, and Georgia's shock win over Portugal, the Three Lions will instead play Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday evening.
Neville, who was a member of Roy Hodgson's backroom staff when England were dumped out of Euro 2016 by Iceland, believes the side must be grateful for their draw. But he urged the outfit to be 'respectful' Francesco Calzone's side.
'We've got to be respectful.' The former Manchester United defender said on ITV. 'I would never be disrespectful of any country. I think Slovakia will be really stern opponents for England and obviously I was part of a team that got knocked out by Iceland which was a terrible night for us.
'But it's a hell of a result for Gareth to miss the Netherlands. Let's be clear, the alternative was [the Netherlands] and that would have been a more difficult game.
'That's not to say there isn't a big job to do on Sunday but you've got to be grateful for a little bit of good fortune and we've had that over the last few tournaments where we just seem to be on the right side of the draw on a regular basis.'
Results on Wednesday confirmed that England will be on the opposite side of the draw to tournament big-hitters Spain, Germany, Portugal, France and Belgium.
Defending champions Italy, Netherlands and in-form Austria are the biggest threats for the Three Lions ahead of a potential final. But first, Southgate's side must improve to find a way past Slovakia, who beat Belgium in their opening game.
'The form England are in, they cannot get carried away.' Roy Keane said. 'They can not underestimate anybody. They have done it before and it has backfired.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, who is part of ITV punditry team for the tournament, agreed with the former United skipper, adding: 'You can have whatever plan you like but if within the first 90 seconds the other team scores and all of a sudden you've to chase the game and open up.
'Every plan you have has got be adjusted and that can happen in a knockout game.
'At the same time, England have earned the right, they've finished first and that does get you the privilege of a better draw. Now it's about capitalising on that opportunity.'