"As a former England player, I wanted to say how proud I am of what Gareth Southgate and his team accomplished this FIFA World Cup. I'm sure the players will be disappointed not to have reached the final, but there is so much to be hopeful about for the future," Charlton said.

England lost 2-1 to Croatia in extra time in their first World Cup semi-final since 1990 and will now face Belgium in the third place play-off in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

A number of England players, including their defender Kieran Trippier, also took to Twitter to express their disappointment following the Croatia defeat.

"Last night hurt and will for a while but we must take positives from the last few weeks and look forward to the future. What a great set of England teammates and staff, it's been a journey we can be proud of. Thank you to all the fans out here and back home for your support," Trippier posted on his Twitter account.

First-time finalists Croatia will face 1998 champions France at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday.