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Gareth Southgate thrilled with the togetherness in the England camp

England players celebrate Marcus Rashford's strike
Image: England players celebrate Marcus Rashford's strike against Spain

England manager Gareth Southgate says the welcome his squad gave youngster Jadon Sancho shows they have the spirit he is looking for.

Borussia Dortmund youngster Sancho made his international debut aged 18 on Friday - coming off the bench to replace Raheem Sterling in a 0-0 draw with Croatia.

Southgate said: "Raheem after the game the other night went straight over to Jadon in the dressing room, congratulating him on his first cap.

Jadon Sancho comes on for his England debut, replacing Raheem Sterling
Image: Jadon Sancho made his England debut against Croatia, replacing Raheem Sterling

"It would be very easy for him to say, 'actually he's good competition for me and I'm going to just put him to one side'.

"But, in training, he was passing advice onto him and that sort of embodies the spirit of the group, which is crucial if we're going to have any success."

England followed their draw in Croatia with a memorable 3-2 defeat of Spain and Southgate says England's youthful squad have proved to themselves that they can compete with top sides.

"I think, especially for young players, it's important you have real positive experiences," said the England manager.

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"You can go into a team as a youngster and suffer defeats and suffer difficult nights, and that becomes a bit of a reference for you.

"So, it's important they feel that firstly they can play against the top teams, that they can enjoy their football.

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England manager Gareth Southgate says their front three made the difference in the 3-2 away win against Spain in the UEFA Nations league.

"And also - because we keep talking to them about 'this is the way we want you to play as a young England team coming through' - to change perceptions of what England teams can do.

"Because we've won matches like this in the past, but maybe not played quite in the same style as the team did here.

"There are young ones coming through that will see that and see what we're trying to do as well."

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