Goalkeeper Whiteman and striker Hinds both enjoyed influential roles as England Under-17s picked up their first point of the tournament in Chile with a 1-1 draw against Guinea on Saturday.
Arsenal forward Hinds and Tottenham’s Whiteman both endured a difficult spell on the sidelines with injury last year. But having put that behind them, the duo are pleased to be making an impact on the big stage.
Brazil v England
FIFA U17s World Cup
Group B
9pm, Tuesday 20 October
Estadio La Portada, La Serena
Live on Eurosport 2
“I’m delighted we are off and running. Of course we wanted to win, but important thing was not to lose your first game,” goalscorer Hinds told TheFA.com.
“I was over the moon to score my first goal in a major tournament for England. I’m kind of trying to make up for lost time and get back to how I was at the beginning of last season, and I feel I’m ready now to do that.”
And having notched one already, Hinds is hoping to add to his tally and fire the Young Lions to glory against the Samba Boys.
“It doesn’t get much better than playing Brazil in a World Cup and I’m really confident we can beat them. I watched them play against South Korea and have played against them before, we know they are very technical and we have to watch out for that.
“But we know if we get the three points then that could be us through to the knockout stage so hopefully we can achieve that.”
Kaylen Hinds headed England into the lead against Guinea
Whiteman echoed his team-mate’s thoughts when reflecting on their opener, and he hopes his own performance will give head coach Neil Dewsnip a selection headache as regular no1 Paul Woolston returns to the squad after a minor injury.
“It’s always important not to lose the first game of a tournament, as James Milner told us back at St. George’s Park, and we came away with a point.
“Of course we’d have like all three, but looking back I think it was a good point against a strong Guinea side,” said Whiteman.
“Now we are focussed on Brazil and building up some momentum and getting the victory on Tuesday.
“Whoever we play we are always looking to win. We just want to play as well as we can.”
He continued: “Naturally I hope I’ve done enough to be picked again. As a keeper it’s always hard when there are three of you fighting for that number one spot – that’s where we all want to be.
“I just try to do everything I can in training to try and prove it should be me, and I hope I did that in the game too.”
England keeper Alfie Whiteman produced two impressive saves against Guinea
Whiteman’s moment to shine arrived shortly before the interval as he produced to fine stops to keep the score goalless, and he dedicated them both to goalkeeping coach Eric Steele.
“Eric has been working hard with the three of us about standing up, it’s what he was coaching David de Gea a few years ago at Manchester United. It’s about standing tall and dropping down a leg, and I was pleased with the two saves I made and he deserves a lot of credit for them as that’s what we’ve been working on.”
He added: “I found out two days before the game that I’d be starting. I thought I’d been training well and I was determined to do well as I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
“I had a tough year last season with injury and performances, so I’m pleased some of my hard work has paid off and hopefully I’ll be able to continue that.”
England face Brazil at 9pm on Tuesday in La Serena live on Eurosport 2.
