What if the Bull had been let loose one night in Turin 31 years ago?

Turin, July 4, 1990. A little more than 10 minutes are remaining in the World Cup semi-final and with England trailing 1-0 to West Germany, Steve Bull is told to get ready to come on.

“I was up on the track and Bobby Robson was explaining the plan to me, what he wanted me to do. Mentally, I was ready,” he says.

It was just as Bull began to unzip his training jacket, Gary Lineker equalised.

“That changed everything,” he continues. “Bobby told me to go and sit down for five minutes and after that passed and when the game went into extra-time, I started to realise I wasn’t going to get on.”

It would be wrong to claim Bull looks back on his experiences at Italia 90 with anything other than immense pride. His journey from playing non-league at Tipton Town, to being written off by Albion and then being selected to go to a World Cup with England while still a Second Division player at Wolves remains a fairytale.

He wouldn’t be human, however, if he didn’t occasionally reflect on the semi-final and ponder what might have been?

“I always say life is full of ifs and buts and that is definitely one of them,” he says. “I suppose these days you would describe the emotions at the time as a bit like when VAR gets involved these days: One minute you think something is happening and you’re about to go on, the next you’re not.

“It can be strange, sitting on that bench, urging the team on while at the same time thinking: ‘Get me on!’

“I’ve never dwelt on it too much. What would have happened if I’d gone on? Maybe I would have scored? Maybe I would never had a chance? I’ll never know. I wasn’t the only player sat on that bench.

“Most of all I just feel lucky for having been part of that squad, for having that experience of representing England at a World Cup. I was part of something really special and that is what matters most.”

England’s subsequent defeat in a penalty shoot-out – and the one which followed six years later in the semi-finals of Euro 96 – are the results which chiefly fuel the sense of dread which surfaces among followers of the Three Lions every time they are paired against Germany in a major tournament.

But while the fixture is unquestionably one with plenty of history, Bull does not believe it should impact Gareth Southgate’s team as they tonight look to claim a first England’s win over Germany in a knockout game since 1966. For one thing, as he points out, they are too young.

“Quite a few of Gareth’s players weren’t even born in 1996, let alone 1990. I’m not sure they even know about us!” he chuckles. “I’ve no doubt they will be aware of the history as it has been talked about an awful lot this week.

“But when it comes to the match itself a lot of the players will just have the blinkers on.

“It is just a case of getting out there and trying to win the game. That’s the way it was for us in 1990.

“We knew all about 1966, of course, and the fact West Germany had then beaten England at the World Cup in 1970.

“But when it came to facing them it was just a case of this is the team we have to beat to get to the next stage, to get to a World Cup final.

“You don’t think about a rivalry or anything that might have happened in the past. It is all about what you can do in terms of making your own history.

“We wanted to get that World Cup in our hands. It didn’t matter who we needed to beat to do that.”

While England’s progress through the Euro 2020 group stages was relatively sedate, particularly compared to the drama which engulfed Germany, Bull believes the move to the knockout rounds would always have required Southgate’s men to raise their game, regardless of opponent.

He has read with a wry smile, meanwhile, some of the criticism aimed at Harry Kane over the past fortnight.

The England skipper failed to score in the group stages but Bull has no fears over his form.

“He is a world-class striker and I haven’t seen his head drop,” he says. “The best way to shut the critics up is by scoring and put it this way, it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up being the hero of the hour.

“I think it will be tense and I think it will be tight. A lot has been said about how this isn’t a great Germany team but these games tend to be close.

“Once you get to the knockout rounds it is totally different to what has come before.

“With the group games you have a bit more margin for error, three matches to get through.

“You can have an average night and recover. But this is do-or-die.

“I’ve got a sneaking feeling England will get the result. I’m just hoping it doesn’t go to penalties.”