Ryan Ledson has had plenty of success with England, at one stage captaining the U17s to the UEFA U17 Championship title, so he has a keen eye on the national side.
Some of the players he grew up playing alongside are now making Gareth Southgate’s starting XI and the Preston North End midfielder is proud to see the young Three Lions squad doing well.
“I have a few good mates at U21 level, who are doing well, and then there’s the likes of Joe Gomez,” he told iFollow PNE. “I came through all the England levels with him and he is a top lad and is doing ever so well for England and Liverpool.
“We all know what a top nation Spain are, but we have a young squad that are doing really well.
“Ross Barkley is another lad who I played with at Everton; his form has been good at Chelsea and sometimes moving to another club can be a good thing for you as it is proving now for him.
“Ben Chilwell is another who I used to play against and he is a top-quality player and doing brilliantly. Mason Mount is in the squad and he is playing in the Championship and that just shows what quality we have in this division and the level the league is at.”
That Championship quality will be back in full throw after the international break and the PNE No.18 says that the victory last time out against Wigan Athletic was a big one and one the squad are now looking to kick on from.
“It was relief more than anything,” he said. “It has been coming for the last few weeks. We have been scoring goals, but the main thing was the clean sheet.
“I was delighted for all the lads, particularly Seani coming back, which gives us a boost and hopefully now we can kick on and pick up more results like that.
“We now have Hull, Brentford and Rotherham in the space of a week and if we can pick up a good haul of points then we will fly right up the table and everyone can forget about the start to season we have had.
“It is about getting a run together now, working hard together and if we can get a victory, then the three points on Saturday would be massive.”
Ryan himself missed the Latics success with an injury, but he is back training and ready for the trip to face the Tigers, if called upon: “It was the Thursday before the Wigan game I felt my ankle a little bit.
“I trained on the Friday, but I couldn’t really move it as well as I should and so I spoke with the manager and the physio and we decided it was better to be fully fit for the next one.
“It was a high ankle sprain, which is a bit worse than if it is lower down the ankle, but I have been back in training this week and therefore it was the right decision.
“If I get the chance to play [against Hull City], I will be ready to play and hopefully we can pick up another three points.”
Watch more from Ryan as he discusses the belief in the squad and their aims for the next few weeks, click on the video at the top of the page, with all iFollow PNE interviews available free of charge, without the need for subscription or registration.