England Under-21s captain James Ward-Prowse was impressed by the way his squad-mates gelled quickly to beat USA in their first game of the season.
Gareth Southgate’s new-look Three Lions squad only met up for the first time on Sunday evening, with a few days of training to prepare for Thursday’s encounter at Deepdale.
England U21s 1-0 USA U23s
International match
Deepdale, Preston North End
Thursday 9 August 2015
But England looked more than comfortable as a team right from the start, as they enjoyed the better of their clash with a strong and organised USA side, before James Wilson’s second-half goal sealed the win.
“It’s very pleasing,” said Ward-Prowse. “It’s always very difficult when a new squad comes together and you only have a few days to achieve the bond.
“But you could see the quality tonight, we played well and although we’ve only been together for a few days, you could see how well we worked together.”
As part of a midfield three containing Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Dele Alli, with Nathan Redmond and Jordon Ibe attacking from the flanks, the Southampton man knows England pose a threat.
James Wilson slots home for England U21s
And with their first Euro Qualifier coming up against Norway on Monday, the 20-year-old is keen to see more of his team-mates on the offensive.
“We know our own strengths and weaknesses and where we can exploit teams,” he explained.
“We have some great attacking players and you could see tonight with the players on show that if we get the ball to them quickly enough, they can cause a lot of damage.”
Jordon Ibe was a threat on the flank for England
Ward-Prowse was one of a few members of Southgate’s new squad who were present in the summer when their challenge in the Euro Finals came to an end in the group stages.
But having experienced that disappointment in Czech Republic, Ward-Prowse believes the reaction in general was just what England needed.
“I think after losing in the summer it was important to regroup and learn from those defeats and experiences that we’ve had,” he admits.
“We were very happy with how the team responded tonight and picked up a good win.”
