Ruben Loftus-Cheek ready for more after England goal

The Chelsea midfielder opened the scoring in Coventry with his first U21s goal and was named man-of-the-match, as Nathan Redmond and Chuba Akpom added to the tally to complete a 3-0 scoreline.

And Loftus-Cheek felt it was a just reward for the Three Lions, who had to show their patience in breaking down a Kazakhstan side who often numbered eight men in defence.

"I’m really happy, the team were great tonight both going forward and in defence and even though we didn’t have much defending to do, when we had to, we did it," said the 19-year-old.

"It was really pleasing tonight, we saw a lot of good football. 

"We had to be patient and, through all of the first half, the goal didn’t come so we said at half time, keep playing and don’t force anything, don’t become too aggressive to score or get too impatient.

"So we were patient and a goal came, which then led to two other goals."

Loftus-Cheek had already been close to scoring in a first half which was dominated by England in terms of chances and possession, without finding anything to show for it.

He could even have had a second, but his late shot cannoned off the underside of the bar to safety, with many inside the ground convinced the ball had crossed the line.

Loftus-Cheek was named as man-of-the-match against Kazakhstan

But the crucial breakthrough came seven minutes after the restart when a free-kick from skipper James Ward-Prowse was bravely knocked down by Eric Dier for Loftus-Cheek to finish with aplomb.

"Big Eric took the hit and got knocked down, but it just sat up nicely for me on the volley," explained the Lambeth-born playmaker. 

"And it was rising, but fortunately it hit the roof of the net.

"I thought the second one was in myself at the time, so maybe it was unlucky but I’m really happy with one goal anyway."

This was only the second time Southgate’s new squad had worked together, following on from last month’s double-header against USA and Norway which also yielded two wins.

And having been part of the squad growing together so far, Loftus-Cheek believes the group of players are becoming closer and better with every minute spent on the pitch, whether that’s in training or matches.

"We’ve had to get to know each other and we have done really well, because we all like each other and it’s been really good," he revealed.

"That shows in the team and how we’ve got better with each game, so we’re already looking forward to the next matches."

The U21s are in action against next month, when they face a Euro Qualifying double against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday 12 November and then Switzerland at Brighton’s Amex Stadium on Monday 16 November.

Tickets for the game in Brighton are on sale now. Click here for full details.