England reaping long-term benefits from early blooding of key figure Declan Rice

England’s hard-earned 2-1 win over Switzerland was not an international friendly of two halves but three thirds. The opening hour was all about a blend of the old and the new. It was the wing-back and three-man midfield system of the last Fifa World Cup campaign but, at the same time, with only three players who were part of it four years ago. Others were making their debuts and first international starts of their career.

The last half-hour, though, was a return to what we have come to expect from Gareth Southgate more recently. There was a back four rather than a back three. There were two holding midfielders rather than just one. There were fewer open spaces for Switzerland to probe, more control over proceedings for England. It was an improvement, to be frank, and a lot of it was down to Declan Rice.

Rice was brought on as one of four changes on the hour mark and took charge of a contest that England had been second-best in for spells. “I think he had a huge impact tonight on the game when he came on,” Southgate said after the final whistle. “A really mature performance: strong, breaks the game up so well, but now has more confidence to drive with the ball and bring it forward as well.”

It is both easy to forget how young Rice still is given his seniority in the England set-up and how senior he is given his age. Only six players in this current squad are younger than him, while only six other players have more caps. His international debut came three years ago now, when he was among the first players to be integrated into Southgate’s England to build upon the semi-final in Russia.

Though he is younger than one of Saturday’s debutants, Kyle Walker-Peters, his starting place is already non-negotiable and Southgate is