Neil Dewsnip is expecting a tough test for England in their first-ever match with Cuba on Thursday evening.
The Young Lions meet the Caribbean nation in Salon de Provence in their second game of this year’s Toulon Tournament.
And after seeing Cuba hold Japan to a 1-1 draw in their opening game on Monday prior to England’s victory over Angola at the same venue in Aubagne, the head coach knows his team won’t find it easy.
“Cuba has been watched in their opening game so we’ll be prepared ahead of Thursday,” said Dewsnip.
“We have to treat them really respectfully though as they got a point from Japan.
“But we look forward to competing against the Cubans as I believe it will be the first-ever meeting between our two nations.”
With a number of new faces in his squad for this year’s trip to southern France, Dewsnip handed six England debuts against the Angolans.
Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall led out the side, whilst Leeds United midfielder Ronaldo Vieira and West Ham United forward Daniel Kemp all started the match.
And the second half saw more debutants introduced from the bench in the shape of Sheffield United’s David Brooks and Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes.
“Joe Worrall, who captained the side, was outstanding and he led the team exactly how I wanted,” admitted Dewsnip, who is expecting to make changes for Thursday’s game.
“Ronaldo Vieira made a major contribution and was very enthusiastic and committed, his ability to regain possession for the team was excellent.
“And Daniel Kemp was under a lot of high pressure, but did some really good and clever things. He combined well with his team-mates.”
That opening-game victory over Angola was sealed by an Ike Ugbo goal with an assist from his Chelsea team-mate Reece James.
And the manner of the display pleased Dewsnip, given the disruption experienced by the squad in terms of travelling to their base.
The Young Lions were initially scheduled to arrive in France on Saturday, but issues with their flights meant they landed 24 hours later than planned.
“Given to the build up to the game we had, which was far from ideal, I’m delighted to get what was quite a competent performance,” explained the former Everton academy boss.
“We weren’t in too much danger and it was just a question of how we broke them down, which we did through a fantastic cross from Reece James and good header from Ike Ugbo.”
