Chris Smalling is ready to make the most of his chance to be part of England’s “exciting” future should Roy Hodgson call on his services against Costa Rica.
The Three Lions can no longer reach the knockout stages of the World Cup but face Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday in their final Group D showdown.
And after disappointing losses against Italy and Uruguay, Smalling is hoping to show England fans a glimpse of what the future has in store to get them smiling again.
Costa Rica v England
FIFA World Cup 2014
5pm BST, Tuesday 24 June
Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte
Live on ITV1
The 24-year-old said: “All the way through I have been able to take part in the training sessions and give my all and if the opportunity comes on Tuesday then I will grab it.
“There are a lot of young and exciting players coming through and that core will carry on going into Tuesday.
“That will be shown and hopefully we can put some smiles back on people’s faces after the disappointment.
“Going into the Euro qualifiers there is a good squad that we can really build on together.”
Smalling is yet to feature in Brazil but the Manchester United defender is hoping to play a large part for his country in the years to come.
He says England’s World Cup preparations were perfect and believes the hard work will soon pay off.
Smalling added: “The preparation couldn’t have been any better from our point of view and I think it will pay dividends.
“We don’t play till September but on Tuesday we can show there is a lot to look forward to.
“Obviously you can’t get over the disappointment that the tournament isn’t going to go any further but we have been able to get back on the field the last couple of days.
“We are now really looking forward to Tuesday so we can really give back to the fans that are out there and do really well.”
