Who would have thought that a weekend that saw England’s senior side struggle to a 2-2 draw against Scotland, could be such an historic one that offers genuine hope of a bright future?
The stunning success of England’s Under-20 side in becoming the first Three Lions outfit – at any level – to win a Fifa-recognised tournament since 1966, helped ease the pain of Leigh Griffiths' shock free-kick double at Hampden Park.
Throw in the successful defence of the Toulon Tournament a day previously – from a scratch squad made up of Under-20s ‘B’ players and others plucked from Under-19s and Under-18s football, and it’s been quite an incredible finale to the season for The FA and the forever hopeful England supporters.
Considering the Under-17s were just stoppage time away from claiming the European Championship last month – eventually losing in heartbreaking fashion on penalties to Spain – and that Aidy Boothroyd’s Under-21s are among the favourites for their age group Euros that begins on Friday, and all appears promising for the Three Lions.
That Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford and Tottenham star Dele Alli could have played in the Under-20s campaign were they not already so crucial to the senior side, only further illustrates how exciting England’s future could be.
Of course, we have been here before. The so-called ‘golden generation’ of Rio Ferdinand, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney went into the 2006 World Cup practically declaring they’d return home with the trophy – only to exit at the familiar quarter-final stage on penalties.
Now it all depends on the chances given to the youngsters at the top level, namely in the Premier League. It seems you have to be extra special – of which there is little doubt Alli and Rashford are – to be given the chance among the elite. You must make an immediate impact, and should you do that, the international age groups are bypassed anyway and it’s straight to the seniors given the paucity of available top-class players for Gareth Southgate to choose from.
As already pointed out on The Sportsman, the starting 11 from England’s World Cup win barely reach double figures for Premier League appearances combined.
Only time will tell how significant an achievement this weekend will turn out to be. Ultimately, as outstanding as it is to win any international tournament, let alone a World Cup, the priority for the age-group teams is to plot a pathway for a select few of the individuals to go and progress to senior honours.
But for now, the players involved, the fans and the FA should bask in a glorious summer. The World Cup boys are much heralded now, and expectation has risen. The pressure on the likes of Dominic Solanke, who moved from Chelsea to Liverpool during the tournament, final goalscorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin and penalty hero Freddie Woodman will intensify with the spotlight now firmly on them for the rest of their careers.
How they respond to that will define them. As much as this is a considerable highlight, they must work to ensure it doesn’t end up as their best ever moment on a football field. Otherwise England will be once again wondering ‘what if?’
