It has been an encouraging year – let alone a positive past week – for England’s young hopefuls. A total of six players made senior debuts in the goalless draws against Germany and Brazil at Wembley to conclude a memorable and uplifting 12 months on the international scene for the country’s next generation.

England won the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea in June and, five months later, the Under-17s avenged their penalty shoot-out defeat by Spain in the final of the European Championship in the summer by beating the same opponents to lift the World Cup in India. The Under-19s also won their European Championship in Georgia in July while, a month earlier, Aidy Boothroyd’s Under-21 team lost against Germany on penalties in the semi-finals of the Under-21 Euros in Poland.

Whether England’s senior side can now follow suit and end decades of underachievement by thriving at next summer’s World Cup in Russia remains to be seen but Marcus Rashford is excited by the talent coming through. The Manchester United striker turned 20 only last month but he has already established himself as a standard-bearer for England’s youth after a meteoric rise to prominence over the past 20 months and hopes to see a wave of other aspiring youngsters follow his lead over the next few years.