England players in the comfort zone as World Cup adventure gets under way

England's football stars have travelled to Russia in style in a Greek-registered luxury jet.

The Boeing B757-23N plane which left Birmingham Airport with England's 23-man playing squad, and the hopes of a nation, boasts "lavish comfort and space", according to the website of Greek-based operators Gainjet.

The 62-seater jet also has on board Wi-fi, a stateroom and large private en-suite facilities but with a flight time to St Petersburg of more than three hours, there were unlikely to be arguments over who gets to use it.

Previous England teams have opted to fly with Virgin when travelling back from the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, took British Airways before the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and beat a hasty retreat from France on a Concorde in 1998.

The Three Lions' stars are no strangers to the trappings of private jets, with Dele Alli's girlfriend Ruby Mae recently posting a picture on Instagram of the pair on the runway just days after the club season finished.

Raheem Sterling was among the squad, wearing tracksuits, sharing selfies on social media after the team set off for Russia on Tuesday.

The Gainjet website describes the jet as: "Having been recently refurbished, it is in excellent condition.

"The unique combination of features onboard the VIP B757 offers its passengers maximum comfort, convenience, and safety.

"So whatever your travel requirements may be, the B757 is the perfect aircraft for you. It truly is one of a kind."

A spokesman for the company declined to comment.