Andros Townsend is hoping his equaliser against Italy in March will consolidate his place in the England team. The Tottenham winger is in the squad to face Republic of Ireland and Slovenia and the 23-year-old is desperate for another cameo to help establish himself on the international stage.

"Every time we meet up, every match, every session, is a chance for me to impress the manager," he said. "He is a big believer in players training well, so if you train well you will get your chance. That has been my mindset whenever I come away with England and if I can impress then the manager might throw me on for 20 or 30 minutes. Hopefully I can get that chance again to have a run out in these two matches.

"It's the pinnacle of you career to play for England, especially at Wembley, so every time I am away with the team I don't want to let that opportunity slip away because if you don't make an impression you could jeopardise your place in the squad. You have to train every time like it's your last session, you have to go out and try to impress every time you put your boots on.

"I knew it was a friendly [against Italy], the manager had six subs to use and that maybe, if it wasn't going our way, he might call upon me. So I was ready, and luckily enough he brought me on and I scored an important goal. It's a huge buzz to score for England, no matter who the opposition, whether it's San Marino or Italy.

"So to come on and get a goal to earn a draw away in Italy - against one of the best goalkeepers who has ever played the game - I was on a high for a good few days after that. For me to score against a goalkeeper like Buffon who is playing in the Champions League Final is massive for my confidence."