Roy Hodgson has hinted that England Under-21s midfielder James Ward-Prowse is ready to make the step up to the senior team, but not before the Under-21s European Championship in Czech Republic in the summer.
Ward-Prowse grabbed the headlines with a late winner in the U21’s last outing – a 3-2 victory against Germany in Middlesbrough.
And the England manager assured the Southampton youngster his efforts had not gone unnoticed.
James Ward-Prowse fires England into the lead against Germany
“We like him,” said Hodgson.
“The moment he comes back from the Czech Republic he will be very much in our thoughts.
“There are quite a few players. At the moment we are in a rich vein of producing players.
“We hope the U21s do well in the summer and some of the players will make the step up."
England Under-21s were drawn in Group B of the tournament, alongside Italy, Portugal and Sweden.
As well as Ward-Prowse, Hodgson has been keeping a close eye on a number of the U21s' star performers.
Harry Kane – also prominent throughout the qualification phase with six goals in eight games – was handed his first senior call-up for the games against Lithuania and Italy.
England manager Roy Hodgson also praised Ross Barkley's impact since joining the senior team
And Kane is one of a number of players to have made the step up to the senior team that are still eligible for Southgate’s side this summer.
Another of those is Everton's Ross Barkley, but Hodgson added that the decision as to which players go will be made on a case-by-case basis.
“It is a genuine argument but brings back to the debate what benefits the U21s,” added the England boss.
“I understand and veer towards Roberto Martinez's argument given Ross [Barkley] came to Brazil last summer, it was tough.
"He's a part of the senior team as you saw against Italy.
"The major argument from Gareth's point of view, he has a very good set of players who qualified.
“Harry Kane is a different kettle of fish as he played a big part in qualification, played every game”
Roy Hodgson on Harry Kane's U21 Euros aspirations
“Harry Kane is a different kettle of fish as he played a big part in qualification, played every game. Harry is quite keen to go too.
"If you can guarantee Ross can go in and not upset the rest of the players and make an impact then who knows but there are no guarantees in football."
England U21s kick-off their tournament against Portugal on 18 June.
They then face Sweden on 21 June before finishing the group stage against Italy on 24 June.
The seniors, meanwhile, play two more fixtures before signing off for the season.
First they face Republic of Ireland in a friendly in Dublin on 7 June.
They complete the season seven days later in Slovenia in a Euro 2016 qualifier.
