It’s been one win and one defeat for England Under-21s this week and boss Aidy Boothroyd admits he’s been happy with his side’s progress.
The Young Lions slipped to a 1-0 reverse against Germany in Wiesbaden on Friday, a game which Boothroyd admits his team deserved to lose.
But they bounced back on Monday with a fluid team display to beat Denmark by 4-0 in Randers, having made ten changes to ensure 21 players from his 23 man squad started a game.
They responded in style with Ruben Loftus-Cheek scoring twice at BioNutria Park along with goals from Solly March and Cauley Woodrow.
“It’s been two really good games for us and two really enjoyable games from my point of view as I’ve learned loads about the lads,” said Boothroyd, who was in charge for the first time this week since his permanent appointment as head coach.
“I thought we played really well, we played some really good stuff and got into some good positions and perhaps could’ve been a bit more clinical if I’m being overly critical.
“But that was a really pleasing performance and that’s the way that we look to play and managed to string some good sequences together with an end product and that’s what we’re all about.
“There was some real positives for us tonight, I thought Sam McQueen was excellent and Will Hughes had a real captain’s game in the middle of the pitch.
“And Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who we’ve seen little bits of, was excellent tonight.”
With no more internationals until after the domestic season finishes, Boothroyd now has a few months to consider his options for the Euros.
The squad are likely to meet up for a number of training camps in May to work around the players’ varying domestic schedules.
And he admits he’s been left with something of a selection headache with a 23-man squad due to be picked for the trip to Poland.
“It’s a nice play to be,” he said.
“With Joe Gomez, Solly March and Cauley Woodrow coming back, it gives them a chance to stake a claim and I thought they all played really well.
“For me now, it’s about making sure we monitor them and make sure they’re okay and keep them in the right nick for the summer.
“They’ve all worked hard, we’ve thrown a lot of new things at them this camp and to have two really good games away from home and to play the way we did tonight was excellent.”
