Defeats are not always good for you – this may have been our best shot

There is no guarantee of momentum into the next tournament after England failed to take up finest chance to reach the final since 1966

experience. The fact only 33 per cent of Premier League players are English is deeply worrying.

That depressing statistic can be reversed if club managers trust English players. We can get that number closer to 50 per cent by 2022. There was a buzz post-1990 leading to a significant rise in the quality of our domestic football.

I hope there is a knock-on effect and leading coaches have belief that English players can play at the highest level. Three of England’s best – Jordan Pickford, Harry Maguire and Kieran Trippier – started at lower levels.

There are plenty of teenagers carrying high expectations. Phil Foden at Manchester City and Mason Mount at Chelsea are exciting players who – if they develop at senior level as they have in the youth ranks – will give England the missing creative link in midfield. They have a long way to go before they can absorb that kind of responsibility and pressure but Southgate will be desperate for Foden and Mount to get regular opportunities at their clubs.

Mount has just enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Vitesse Arnhem, scoring 14 goals in 39 appearances. More young English players must follow this example rather than waste time wondering when or if it will happen at big clubs who can afford to be more patient than the players.

The England manager has excelled in identifying those who fit his system. I do not believe Maguire would have been a first choice under Southgate’s predecessors. It would have been easy to select Chelsea’s Gary Cahill ahead of him. That must encourage many English players that you do not have to play for one of the “big six” to get into the England team.

The Football Association must also learn from the past. A highlight of the past four weeks has been the unity of England fans. Southgate’s team have given the national team back to the people. Now the FA must do likewise. Supporters from every region want to bond with the players. When the team and fans feed off positivity, they get the best from each other. We can thrive.

We wanted hope from this competition. We got it. It is imperative the FA taps into this and takes the national team beyond Wembley, not only for friendlies, but qualifiers. When the mood swings towards optimism, you must take advantage. The alternative is that the summer of 2018 will be part of the same nostalgia trip as 1990 and 1996.

Another story ending with the question: “What if?” No more than a rare outbreak of sunshine around England’s national team.