I WATCHED the second half of England against Croatia after a family dinner and it was really exciting. I also saw the Croats play Spain in the week and that was a great game too.

Like I said at the start of it, this Nations League does give managers a chance to play strong teams and really gives them something to play for.

Away from the game, this England team is quite impressive, especially with the substitutions Gareth Southgate was able to make.

He brought on Jadon Sancho, Dele Ali and Jesse Lingard; it’s a very strong squad and he’s got some really good players in that set-up. The fact the majority of them are under the age of 25 helps too.

Sancho is 18 and how many times do you see a player of his age get a chance at international level? It helps that he gets regular playing time in Germany.

Southgate isn’t bothered how old they are and he will play them, and he’s fully aware of their progression too from his own progress within the FA.

The future for the next five or six years for England looks very exciting.

They will now get to be involved in the first finals of the competition, which will be held in Portugal next summer, and means they will be facing some good teams in the hosts, Switzerland, who I was surprised to see put five goals past Belgium, and either France or Holland.

I was interested to see Wayne Rooney’s comments after he said his farewell last week that he’s spoken to ex-England players who ‘can’t cope’ with this team’s success.

Maybe a bit of envy? It was a surprise comment to see but possibly it’s a bit of bitterness. Ex-players often live in the past and think they’re the best.

These players are good; it’s not just the fact they’re good players but it’s the way they’ve played.

They have to gel and they have, which is refreshing after so many years of good players underperforming before going back and doing well for their clubs.

England are in a good period at the minute, they’re very good to watch and the fans are enjoying it. I just hope it continues over the years.