Wednesday 10 September 2014 16:38, UK
FA director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking has thrown his support behind England manager Roy Hodgson and believes victory at Euro 2020 is a realistic target.
England performed poorly at World Cup 2014 but began their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in positive fashion with a 2-0 win in Switzerland that many have hailed as the dawning of a new era.
Brooking highlighted the youthful nature of Hodgson's squad and believes solid foundations for the future are being laid.
The former West Ham player said: "We have got have a better depth at 16 who will break into the first team, and we are starting to see that, but if you are Roy you want them in five or 10 years' time to have a better depth of talent and we will get there now because we have made a lot of progress on the structure and have almost just got to let it happen with the people we have appointed in the restructuring over the past couple of years.
"The group (of young players) interacted really well (during the World Cup), there was good camaraderie and there is a sort of club atmosphere within the structure, and that came good in Switzerland.
"Roy has known if he encourages that and brings those players through, there is no greater incentive to know there is a senior coach who will give them a chance if they have that promise.
"For me, it is in safe hands. In 2016, we should qualify, but will we be ready to compete? Let's see who is available and has come through.
"We have just got to be patient and over the next 18 months if an opportunity with Roy and Gareth (Southgate) in the U21s to work together and really start to build that long-term senior squad which is going to be competitive.
"2020 is always the one I have thought about - can we do something with that? Especially if we can get the semi-finals and finals at Wembley, which would be awesome because the group that year, from what I have seen in the 17s to 21s, would be very competitive."
