Ollie Watkins was the only starter to make a statement as England laboured to victory against Australia at Wembley.
The Aston Villa striker tapped home Jack Grealish’s shot from close range but hit the post earlier on in an energetic display.
The rest of Gareth Southgate’s second string played like strangers in a drab 1-0 win over the nation ranked 27th in the world by FIFA, who lost only because they wasted their clear-cut chances.
A host of star names were rested with a competitive Euro 2024 qualifying match at home to Italy on Tuesday and, here, Nizaar Kinsella outlines points of interest as Southgate rang the changes.
Jordan Henderson booed by his own fans
There was a smattering of boos every time Jordan Henderson touched the ball but, when he was substituted for Kalvin Phillips in the 62nd minute, the home support turned up the volume to let him know how they feel about his lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.
The 79-cap midfielder may, ironically, have only been starting because he plays at such a low level at Al-Ettifaq since his summer move from Liverpool.
It’s an awkward issue for Southgate going forward, with questions already being asked about whether Henderson will stay at the required level by next summer.
James Maddison in midfield
James Maddison was part of an overall unbalanced midfield display despite his first start in a central midfield role.
The 26-year-old has been in sensational form under Ange Postecoglou, who was watching his midfielder and home nation at Wembley, with two goals and five assists from his nine games in North London.
However, he had a mixed display where he produced an awful long-range effort in the first half but followed it up by creating the best chance of the game for Watkins, which saw him hit the post.
Unfortunately, Maddison probably didn’t do enough to convince Southgate that he should be a starter in his 73-minute display. But there is plenty of time until Euro 2024 to change his mind.
Similarly, hopefuls such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher, Fikayo Tomori and Jarrod Bowen didn’t do enough, although matchwinner Watkins excelled.
Levi Colwill: the left-back
Levi Colwill was the debutant in this Southgate experiment. His inclusion changed the system to a familiar shape played under Mauricio Pochettino as he moved to left-back.
The new tactical approach didn’t work but Colwill still showed his quality in possession and driving into midfield.
His early booking was a lesson not to get carried away but it was a small footnote in an emotional and much-deserved debut.
Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah also made his first senior appearance from the bench.
