Adam Lallana has told the Times he was at Wembley as a fan for England’s 1-0 win over Croatia on Sunday.
The Brighton midfielder had special praise for the performances of Tyrone Mings, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice.
The Three Lions got their Euro 2020 campaign off to a winning start as Gareth Southgate’s controversial selection decisions paid off.
Mings and Phillips might have missed out if Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson were fit but both took their opportunity superbly well.
“(My son’s) man of the match? Tyrone Mings,” said Lallana. He was excellent and I thought he stood out along with Phillips and Declan Rice.
“But there were lots of good performances and there are a lot of players who supporters can have a connection with.
“That is important and credit to Gareth Southgate for cultivating that bond. I genuinely believe we can go all the way.
“Yes, some big teams will lie in wait, but as I have said previously this is a team that now thinks ‘why can’t we win?'”
Sunday’s game was the first major tournament match in which England have had no Liverpool nor Manchester United player in the starting lineup since a Euro 1992 group stage match against France.
Players like Rice, Mings and Phillips, who have not played continental football at club level all made their major tournament debuts on Sunday.
They all stepped up to the mark on a boiling hot afternoon, the kind on which England have traditionally wilted in the past.
Phillips was especially impressive and a repeat performance on Scotland on Friday night should be enough to seal progression to the next round.
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