England have begun gearing up for their World Cup quarter-final showdown against France with Gareth Southgate hinting that the Three Lions' youngest cubs will be given another opportunity to shine.
England's starting stars in Sunday night's efficient 3-0 victory over Senegal took part in a recovery session, while substitutes took part in more substantial on-field drills less than 24 hours after booking a spot in the final eight, and a date against the reigning world champions.
Jude Bellingham teed up Jordan Henderson to break the deadlock after a cagey opening half an hour before Harry Kane doubled England's advantage on the stroke of half-time. Bukayo Saka finished a slick move on the hour mark to bag his third goal of the tournament and a priceless win for England.
Bellingham, 19, and Saka, 21, have been at the forefront of England's remarkable campaign after muscling their way into Southgate's plans over the past 12 months - and he alluded to the fact that they will be raring to go when they tackle the pre-tournament favourites at the weekend.
“Well, I don’t think we could have predicted how quickly he would mature,” Southgate said of Bellingham after another standout performance from the Borussia Dortmund teenager. “Even in the last six months, that’s gone to another level – or the last three months, in fact.
“I think the view we have always taken is we have wanted to invest in young players on the basis that we felt that they could be something special in the future. That’s bringing them into the group.
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“It means that the likes of Bukayo have got 20-odd caps already, coming into a tournament like this. [Declan] Rice was in at 19. So, you suffer a bit with that at times because they are not going to be perfect when they come in.
“But you get a feel of them with the group, you can see the mentality, you can see the comfort and so, of course, further down the line you get the types of performances that we’re getting.
“The three youngest today we felt had earned that opportunity and had earned that trust in a game of this size. And we wanted to give them their head.
"And they’ve shown great maturity and all contributed in their own way.”
Although France will represent a major challenge for England, Southgate has been buoyed by the confidence his vibrant, young side showed against Senegal.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Southgate added: “You know, this is the acid test for us. We know it’s a step up from everything we’ve had so far.
“But the team have garnered so much experience in the last few years. They’re playing with confidence. We look threatening, we’re scoring goals, another clean sheet, which was really pleasing to see. So, we’re in a good place, but we know the level of the opposition as well.”
