New England U16s boss Steve Cooper wants to give his players the platform to perform, both this season and in the future.
The former Liverpool academy coach takes charge of the team for the first time on Friday night, as the Young Lions face Wales in their opening match of this season’s Victory Shield.
And Cooper reiterated his desire to help his players reach their full potential.
Wales v England
Victory Shield
U16 international
7.30pm, Friday 31 October
The Book People Stadium, Bangor
He said: “There are clear aims and objectives and the same vision throughout the England teams, but like any job in youth development it’s always about the players. They will always be my focus.
“There is a lot of quality in this age group, a lot of excellent young players. We have got to give them the right opportunities to flourish both now and in the future.
“And when the players are with us I want to give them a really beneficial experience. Not just in terms of enjoyment but also their understanding of how an international set-up works going forward and how they can fit into that.
He continued: “We are working with 16-year-olds who are on the start of an international journey and we need to be mindful of that.
"Our expectations need to be high but they need to be appropriate. We need to concentrate on the now but have an eye on the future as well.”
The Victory Shield is a round-robin tournament between the home nations and England triumphed 13 years in succession before Scotland took the crown last season.
“It is my first game in charge so of course it will be a proud moment, but it will be far more special for the players”
Steve Cooper
A number of current senior internationals have featured in this competition, including captain Wayne Rooney, James Milner, Daniel Sturridge and Jack Wilshere.
Cooper added: “The Victory Shield is a fantastic competition for a young player to begin his international journey, and a number of established England players got their first experience of the Three Lions jersey in this very tournament.
“It is my first game in charge so of course it will be a proud moment for me and the rest of the staff, but it will be far more special for the players and rightly so.”
England travel to Northern Ireland on 7 November before rounding things off against Scotland in Yeovil on 20 November.
