England's senior men eased their way through their first World Cup qualifiers during the March international window but the place to go for goals was to Lee Carsley's under-21s as they countdown to the defence of their Euros crown won in 2023 with the tournament in Slovakia fast approaching.
Keen to test themselves against top opposition, England lost 5-3 in France before a 4-2 victory over Portugal at the Hawthorns.
With a number of players at his disposal who were linked with senior call-ups, such as Liam Delap of Ipswich Town, Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, Carsley opted to look at some different systems during the two matches.
Speaking after the Portugal game, he said: “We won’t play a game before we go out to the tournament so it was important that we tried to get something out of this window.
“I think you’re going to see some exciting games and hopefully I want them to play with that belief.”
The draw for this summer's finals has paired England alongside Germany, Czechia and Slovenia in Group B.
"They’re teams that we’ve played before, so we know a lot about them,” said Carsley at the time of the draw.
"They’re all good teams too, so we know how difficult it’s going to be and it’s a tournament that we’re looking forward to now."
The tournament takes place between 11 and 28 June with Group B fixtures taking place in Dunajska Streda and Nitra.
Tickets are on sale via the official website, priced at 12/15 Euros for the group stage games.
