After the Three Lions wrapped up the year with a win over France at Wembley on Tuesday, Roy Hodgson says the future is bright for the England team.
A side featuring six players aged 22 or under lined up against the French, while the opening goal in the 2-0 victory was a sublime strike from 19-year-old Dele Alli.
That game at Wembley followed England's only defeat since the World Cup - which ended a run of 15 without loss - against current European champions Spain.
Roy Hodgson talks to his young players during training
Hodgson also had to deal with a host of absences, with a large number of his more established players unavailable due to injury.
However, with everyone fully fit, the manager says he has a strong pool of young players to pick from who can form the new generation of England stars.
“I think a lot of players have come into the reckoning," said Hodgson, whose side has won seven of their 10 games this year, drawing two.
"When you look at the players we had building up to the World Cup, and during the World Cup, and you look at the players now – there’s not many survivors quite honestly.
Watch Dele Alli's strike against France
"I think we are building a team and hopefully a good future for English football.
"I do think there are a lot of young players at the moment who, if they do get the experience and keep maturing, keep developing in their clubs, then they can be hopeful of similar careers to the great players who have retired since I took over - people like John Terry, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and all these type of guys."
He continued: "I believe in the players. I believe in the work we do. I believe they have the capacity and the quality given the chance.
"We are inexperienced – nothing is going to change that. You don’t make a 21-year-old into a 30-year-old, you don’t turn a guy who has only played six or seven Premier League games and one England game into a Frank Lampard, a Steven Gerrard or a Wayne Rooney.
"But if they can just keep going, if they can keep getting the support - certainly they get it from myself and the [England] coaching staff - I think some of them have a very interesting future ahead of them."
