Gareth Southgate was pleased to see his plan come together in Podgorica, as England hit five goals for the second game in succession against Montenegro.
The Three Lions boss revealed he had targeted progress from the flanks in this game and he was rewarded with a fluent attacking performance.
Goals from Michael Keane, Ross Barkley (2), Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling proved enough on the night, after England fallen behind to Marko Vesovic’s opener.
But it was the performance of Sterling and 18-year-old debutant Callum Hudson-Odoi who had the manager purring.
“I’m really pleased,” he said.
“The game was a simple one, in that we had talked all week about using the width and making sure that we didn’t turn down the option of using our wingers.
“That was where we were fabulously productive on the night and young Callum Hudson-Odoi put in a fabulous performance and showed what he’s shown us all week.
“And for the team to recover from going a goal behind, at a place which has been very difficult for us before, we showed some good character and it was a good test for us.”
Chelsea youngster Hudson-Odoi is one of the latest in a line of Young Lions to step up and join Southgate’s squad, having previously impressed with the development teams.
And, like any of his younger players, Southgate wants to see them all working hard to improve and keep their place in his group.
“With young players, it’s always up to them,” he added.
“You can see the talent, and his application with us has been excellent and he’s got to continue that.
“It’s a great step forward for him, but like any player, you’ve got to constantly work and look to improve.”
Southgate also revealed that England will be reporting racist abuse of players to UEFA, following an incident late in the second half.
“We’ll report it, I know what I heard, abuse of Danny Rose when he got booked at the end of the game,” he said.
“There’s no doubt in my mind at what happened. We’ll make sure that’s reported officially because it’s not acceptable. We’ve got to make sure we support our players.”
