The 45-year-old sportsman admitted there was a point he was worried about Europe’s potential in the Ryder Cup but his fears have been eased and he is now feeling “pretty confident” in the mix of veterans and newcomers who can play.

He told Today’s Golfer magazine: “I’ll be honest, I thought Europe might be in a transitional phase after Whistling Straits.

“I thought there might be a period of time where we could struggle in the Ryder Cup.

“But I have been pleasantly surprised by the pipeline of talent that has come through and also some of the other players that have really stepped up and become incredible golfers, like Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka even.

“Then you’ve got Ludvig [Aberg] who has popped his head up and the Hojgaard twins – they are all super talents who can kind of kick on.

“I don’t feel like they’ve even shown us how good they can be yet, so I feel pretty confident that Europe has that runway ahead of us.

“We have a nice blend of stalwarts, experienced campaigners, and future stars.”

Justin admitted it would be a “huge honour” to be chosen as Europe’s captain in the years to come.

He said: “It’s a huge honour isn’t it? I don’t want to speak too soon but yeah, it’s something I’d like to do, for sure, to be given the opportunity.

“If the players felt like that’s something they would be up for, then absolutely.

“It’s an honour and responsibility that I would love and take seriously and give everything to.”