Gareth Southgate believes England Under-21s' Toulon triumph is a "shot in the arm" for the country's oft-maligned youth development system.
The frustration of three straight group-stage exits from the Under-21 European Championship finals faded into the background on Sunday as the Young Lions wrapped up a convincing tournament victory.
England won the Toulon Tournament for the first time since 1994 by following up four group victories with a 2-1 win against hosts France in the final.
Southgate is confident the experience will hold the group in good stead and boost the country's youth development - perhaps as well the senior team as they prepare for their own tilt at glory on French soil this summer.
"We've not had a chance to speak yet," the Under-21s boss said regarding England manager Roy Hodgson.
"We had some really nice messages from the seniors before the game, some of whom were with us last year.
"I think from my point of view, I hope the individuals and collective here benefit moving forwards.
"I think it is a shot in the arm for youth development in our country, which always gets knocked.
"Our belief is that we do have good players - they need opportunity to play and a lot of these boys haven't been playing.
"That is some of the motivation I give them is 'go show people what you're capable of'.
"In terms of the seniors, a lot of those boys were with us a year ago and we're looking forward to supporting them and hoping they can go as far as they can.
"If in some way we have given them a little boost then brilliant."
The performances in southern France certainly bode well for the future of English football, especially with the senior team building a young, new-look squad.
Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Co can act as inspiration for the current crop, which Southgate believes will be better-placed to succeed after experiences like Toulon.
The Under-21s boss has been keen to get young English players facing teams from a variety of regions to challenge their mentality as much as the technical and tactical side.
Southgate was impressed by how his team maintained emotional control in feisty matches against Portugal and Paraguay, which he hopes sees them return home better players.
"It's in their own hands," Southgate said of the players' potential.
"They'll take great comfort for having come through a final. I think it will inspire them and inspire others to want to be a part of it.
"But with their clubs and with us they've got to prove themselves all over again next season.
"I like the way we played. We had a bit more physicality about us. We were able to press the ball more and defensively that gave us more solidity.
"We've moved the ball well over the past three years but we had a real goal threat and were ruthless. The goals to chances ratio was really high.
"A lot of good things have happened with this squad, and who knows where they'll be in 12 months' time."
Source: PA
