Raheem Sterling shows his value to Southgate’s tried and trusted England

This was a useful England friendly. Depleted by mid-season twangs, degraded by a frustrating red card for Serge Aurier – who’s still got it – and limited as a contest by the poverty of this Ivory Coast team; but there was good stuff here too, and a sense of two vital cogs in the Southgate universe clunking into place.

One thing does seem certain after another controlled Wembley win. This is how it’s going to go down. The shape, the pegs, the architecture of this team is set. We’re going to play this out to the end.

It was a good game for Jude Bellingham, who was imperiously good at times, and might just have a chance of opening up that central midfield. And beyond that for two of the comfy chairs, the inherited mahogany sideboards, the tried and trusted internal fittings of this England team.

Harry Maguire was booed by England’s fans at the start. But he was steady, unobtrusive and very much the England version of himself. Raheem Sterling got the same treatment, more viciously, in the pre-Southgate years. Here he produced an eye-catching performance, restating, in timely fashion, his own credentials as the most decisive English attacking midfielder since, well, who? David Beckham? Gazza? David Platt? Beckham ended up with 42 assists for England, which is spectacular. But tot up the stats and Sterling has pretty much everyone else covered.

He showed us why here. Half an hour into a fun, skittish, open game England’s No 7 took the ball on the left inside the Ivory Coast penalty area. Faced by two crouched and coiled defenders, Sterling produced a lovely little miniature. It will be one of the ticks, the asterisks, the bold-underlines Gareth Southgate takes from this March double header. Here was a very basic reminder of