With all the focus on England’s competition for attacking places, Nico O’Reilly’s international debut may have slipped under the radar.
The 20-year-old – who only made his first Premier League start in April – received his first senior call-up in October and was handed his debut by Thomas Tuchel in Thursday’s win over Serbia at Wembley.
The young Manchester City left-back is the sixth player to be given a senior debut by Tuchel, after Dan Burn, Trevoh Chalobah, Elliot Anderson, Djed Spence and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
O’Reilly was picked over Spence and Lewis-Skelly but did not look out of place alongside Ezri Konsa, John Stones and Reece James in defence.
“I’m over the moon,” O’Reilly told BBC Radio 5 Live after the game. “Tonight was a very special night, making my debut. Dream come true for me and my family.
“My mum, stepdad, sister, for them to watch me play here at Wembley is a crazy feeling.”
It has been a rapid rise for O’Reilly for club and country, with this England debut coming hot on the heels of his impressive display as Manchester City beat defending champions Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
In that game he and Jeremy Doku formed a strong partnership down the left that the Reds could not cope with.
O’Reilly has no intention of standing still, however, with his eyes firmly set on securing a place in Tuchel’s World Cup squad.
“It is an aim for me to try to get to the World Cup,” he added.
“There’s huge competition but I have got to just keep working hard, game by game and day by day.”