England manager Roy Hodgson has warned Tottenham starlet Dele Alli that he has a lot to prove before cementing his spot in the senior squad.
The 19-year-old was called up for the recent Euro2016 qualifiers following an impressive start to the domestic season with Spurs and made his international debut in Friday's 2-0 win over Estonia.
Liverpool great Jamie Carragher recently commented that perhaps it is not as difficult as it once was to play for England but Hodgson was quick to dismiss those claims, indicating that youngster Alli thoroughly deserved his call-up.
"It's not a situation where, the moment you kick the ball correctly from A to B, you'll get in the England team," Hodgson said. "It's not like that at all.
"But if you do come in and make an impact as a young player, and then there are a lot of injuries in the first-team it is an opportunity.
"I said to him (Alli) that I'm pleased to have him here, he's here on merit, and he can handle the pressures. But I did say to him that there's a good chance you'll be with the U21s the next time. Don't think you're a senior player.
"You're an England player, but whether you're in the seniors or in the U21s we will see."