We want to give our country the best ever Christmas present, says Declan Rice

The Three Lions midfielder said he is determined to ­triumph in Qatar the week before December 25.

Gareth Southgate’s squad continued training yesterday for Sunday’s last-16 knockout match in Doha against Senegal.

Rice, 23, described how the manager has boosted confidence by ­telling the players England are as “big as anyone”. And he revealed they have brought in a psychologist to help fine-tune taking penalties in case they face the dreaded shoot-out in the event of a draw.

Rice said he discovered how much England’s success means to supporters when they reached the Euros final at Wembley last year.

He said: “We see the support we’ve got. You see it in the fan parks, you see it in the pubs. We’ve seen the Lionesses doing it in the summer.

“It makes me happy seeing the videos of them celebrating us scoring. So we are going to try to keep going, keep pushing, keep ­trying to lift every one. It’s really close to Christmas, so hopefully we can deliver the best present.”

England secured Sunday’s tie against Senegal at the Al Bayt Stadium by topping Group B with wins over Iran and Wales and a draw against the USA.

They have never played the West African side – nicknamed the Lions of Teranga – but say they are confident.

Rice added: “We have had a good focus throughout the three group games – three tough games as well. But now we are on to a bigger test.

“We know Senegal’s going to be really tough. We know it’s the knockout stages – if you don’t win you go home. But that’s not what we’re aiming for, we’re here to get to the end of the tournament.”

Describing Southgate’s calming influence, Rice added: “He really puts the emphasis on us.

“You know, ‘we are England. we’re just as big as anyone else’. We’ll be ready for anything. When you have got a manager who is that calm, you really want to go out and fight and do as much as you can to win a football match.”

Southgate, who famously missed a penalty when England lost to Germany at Euro 96, has “changed the mindset” on spot-kicks.

The psychologist is helping overcome a jinx which also eliminated the side from the World Cup in 1990, 1998 and 2006, and the Euros in 2004, 2012 and last year.

Midfielder Rice said: “Everyone’s got a different technique, different run-up. It’s more about how you compose yourself, taking a breath, having a clear mind and hopefully put the penalty away.”

Rice joked about failing to recognise Nineties ­pop star Chesney Hawkes, who performed his hit The One And Only at half-time in the Wales game, won by Marcus Rashford’s two goals and Phil Foden’s strike.

He said: “I knew the song but didn’t know who he was. One of the kit men said ‘Chesney Hawkes is outside with your shirt on’. I was like ‘I don’t know who he is’. I spoke to him and gave him a hug. We’re pals now.”