The speed with which England have evolved under Gareth Southgate is impressive, as is the courage their manager has displayed in promoting the talented young players rapidly emerging from the junior ranks.
When he said he would be quite happy to select either Jadon Sancho or Callum Hudson-Odoi for this European Championship qualifier, he did so without a hint of trepidation. Never mind that Hudson-Odoi has not started a Premier League game for Chelsea.
On Friday night, as predicted by this newspaper when news first emerged that Marcus Rashford was carrying an injury, he went with the more experienced of the two 18-year-olds: the precociously-gifted young forward dazzling the German Bundesliga with his contributions for Borussia Dortmund.
Jadon Sancho was hugely impressive as England thrashed Czech Republic 5-0 at Wembley
Sancho showed his flair and also provided the assist for Raheem Sterling's opener
Sancho is a sensation; a player matched only by Lionel Messi for the number of assists in the big five leagues in Europe this season, and someone at least one former coach has likened to Neymar.
Such praise so early in a career can, of course, be dangerous. For some players it becomes a burden. But Sancho seems to possess the confidence that enables him to seize these opportunities. So it proved again here.
If truth be told, he did not start terribly well, slightly over-complicating matters and too often losing possession. But when Raheem Sterling broke the deadlock 24 minutes into this contest, it was Sancho who provided the final ball.
In fairness to Harry Kane, he delivered the incisive pass that invited his young colleague to simply square the ball for Sterling at the far post. But it was a clever run from Sancho that caught out the Czech defence and he did well to find Sterling given the pace with which he was moving.
For Southgate it must have been particularly pleasurable. Not least because Sterling’s finish was the conclusion to a 25-pass sequence that saw 10 England players touch the ball in the build-up.
But for Sancho it also provided a timely boost, the teenager nearly carving another opportunity for Sterling to strike
