Southampton and England star Ryan Bertrand follows through with pledge to help Grenfell Tower victims

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Ryan Bertrand has followed through on his pledge to help those affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Speaking on Monday, the England defender — who is set to start against Slovenia on Thursday night — insisted his involvement goes beyond financial donations as he looks to get involved in re-housing residents affected by the fire.

Bertrand is particularly focused on ensuring residents are re-housed as close to the Grenfell site as possible. 

Ryan Bertrand is determined to hep victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster beyond a donation

At least 68 people were killed and hundreds left homeless following the fire in June

The Southampton left back visited the site in London in June and, asked if he had followed up on that initial visit, Bertrand said: 'We're in the process of seeing if we can do a few things, and I don't want to say too much, but things are ongoing. 

'Over the last few years there have been catastrophes everywhere. But that was on our doorstep. Nearby.

'It resonated with me, so I just wanted to do something more. I had friends who grew up in similar circumstances, so it hit me.

Bertrand says the disaster resonated with him because he grew up in similar circumstances

'I had a few friends from the estate, so we wanted to see what we could do. I'm in a half-decent position so maybe I could do more than just donate.

'So I went down to the estate (two days after the fire) to ask questions, to see how things were going and get a feel for it and see what I could do to make a difference.

'It struck a nerve, growing up in similar tower blocks when I was a kid, albeit in different areas of London, I'm familiar with the territory.

'My Nan, my aunties, they still live in tower blocks and love it. It's home to them.

'I'm not saying, "I'm Ryan Bertrand flying in to see what I could do". I'm not the biggest footballer in the world. But I have some sort of status so I just wanted to see what I could do to help. I thought I could do more.'