Mason Mount helped England Under-19s make a dream start to the Euro Finals on Monday, as the Young Lions target more summer glory.
The Chelsea midfielder scored after just 39 seconds of England’s opening game with Bulgaria in Tblisi, where Keith Downing’s side went on to register a 2-0 win.
And with two more group games to go against Netherlands and Germany later this week, Mount says England’s goal is to become the latest Young Lions squad to be victorious on their travels.
“We’re taking every game as it comes, but our goal is to win the tournament,” said Mount, 18, who also featured in the U17 Euro Finals in Azerbaijan last summer.
“That’s always been our goal and we know we have a chance to do that, if we play to our full potential.
“I know what these tournaments are about and that helps me a lot and there’s a couple of the other boys who have been in the U17s too so it helps us to know what we’re going into.”
One thing which the Young Lions will have to get used to is the stifling summer heat in Georgia.
The temperature was still over 40 degrees during the late afternoon on Monday when England kicked-off against the Bulgarians.
And they will take on the Dutch, who beat Germany by 4-1 in their first game, at the same time on Thursday in what is already looking like a crucial game in the group with both sides knowing that a win would put them one step closer to a semi-final spot.
“We knew we needed to manage the game because the heat played a big part and it tires you out,” added Mount, who captained Chelsea to the FA Youth Cup title last season.
“I didn’t think it was going to be that hard, your mouth’s dry and every little press and every little move tires you out.
“I thought we managed it much better in the second half than we did in the first, but that’s a learning curve and we know what we need to do in the second and third game.
“I think they’ll [Netherlands] be a very technical side and that’s going to be a good game.
“It’ll be a tough game again, so we’ll need to keep moving the ball and focusing on what we need to do.”
As for his early goal, the Portsmouth-born youngster paid tribute to another Stamford Bridge starlet Dujon Sterling, who combined well to set him up for a composed finish.
“I played it to Duj over the top when I saw he was getting on, and he picked me out with a great ball back to me,” he explained.
“I was trying to get in the box and I just wanted to get it on target and pick out one of the corners and it came off, so I was very happy to get the first goal.
“It was a great start to get the early goal and then in the second half, getting another early goal killed the game for us and helped us kick-on and keep the ball better.”
Downing’s side will face the Netherlands at the Mikhail Meskhi Stadium in Tblisi, kicking-off at 2.30pm BST. The game will be shown live on Eurosport.
