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England can look forward to a bright future as Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions bid for World Cup glory in Qatar, according to Antonio Rudiger.
The new Real Madrid defender got a first-hand look at the Euro 2020 runners-up when Germany were held to a 1-1 Nations League draw in Munich on Tuesday.
It was the hosts who had the majority of possession but Harry Kane’s late penalty – his 50th international goal – sealed a point for Southgate’s men, cancelling out Jonas Hoffman’s strike.
Rudiger, who signed for Madrid after his Chelsea contract expired, was impressed by England’s strength in depth, and reserved special praise for Jack Grealish, who came off the bench in midweek.
“The England squad has great quality,” he said.
“It’s like [Bukayo] Saka comes out, Grealish comes in. I saw a lot of big, big names were on the bench.
“England have a lot to be optimistic about for the future. I think you people don’t need to worry too much. The English players are definitely getting better.
“You have to think about it like this, that players like [Marcus] Rashford and [Jadon] Sancho didn’t even make the squad.
“That tells you that you have a lot of depth in the English squad and you have big, big players like Harry Kane, [Raheem] Sterling and Grealish – big names, big players.
“I think Grealish gave the team a real impact – because he came on and he gave good one v ones and everything.
“He is a very dangerous player and those sort of players are going to win you games.”
England will face Wales, Iran and the United States in Group B at the World Cup, which starts on November 21.
