Eberechi Eze gave Gareth Southgate a new headache as he was one of the only bright sparks in England’s drab display against Bosnia. Southgate named an experimental starting XI to give players on the fringes of the squad a chance to impress.
But it was only Crystal Palace man Eze who grabbed that chance with both hands.
The 25-year-old skipped past four opponents to calve open an opportunity midway through the first half.
He was electric on the ball and looked a definitely lively option should Southgate want to call on him from the bench at Euro 2024.
With Antony Gordon injured and Marcus Rashford left out of the squad, it is not clear who will start for England on the left wing.
It is likely that Phil Foden is pushed out wide, despite his preferred position being through the middle.
As back-ups go, Eze is not a bad option at all.
Meanwhile, Cole Palmer tried to make things tick in an unusual No 10 position and he scored the opening goal from the spot on the hour.
The Chelsea man’s set-piece delivered were solid but he was victim of the new-look line-up failing to tick.
Chances were hard to come by and it wasn’t until the second half that England looked like they were going to break the deadlock.
Ollie Watkins attempted to lift an effort over the out-rushing Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj but he failed to make contact with the ball.
England were awarded a penalty after the referee checked VAR to see a pull on Ezri Konsa from a corner on the hour mark.
Palmer, who scored nine penalties for Chelsea this season, drilled the ball into the bottom right corner.
Kane was stripped and ready to come on when Palmer was beginning his run-up, as were the other four substitutes that were planned for the 60-minute mark.
Palace midfielder Adam Wharton was one of those substitutes, coming on to make his international debut.
But it was the experienced old heads that wrapped up the match, with Trent Alexander-Arnold volleying in a second late on, before Harry Kane was in the right place to convert a scruffy mix-up from close range.
