Joleon Lescott column: Young Lions have shown the future is bright

I'm still on a high from England's unbelievable European Under-21 Championship victory!

When I was first asked to join Lee Carsley's coaching team two years ago, there's no way I expected us to be lifting that trophy.

The last two U-21 Euros, we hadn't even made it out of the group. This time, not only did our boys go all the way, they did so without conceding a goal.

From the minute we met up for the final camp, a switch seemed to flick among the players. They wanted it so much and were so focused.

They were determined not only to succeed in terms of results but also change the perception about how England play football.

And anyone who saw the games will know that's exactly what they did. 

It wasn't backs against the wall. We dominated possession in almost every game. We had four of the top five goals in terms of highest pass sequences completed in the build-up.

As a group of staff, we believed victory was possible but the way it was achieved exceeded expectations.

King Carsley

Not many people would've been talking about Lee as a top-class manager before this tournament — and that's exactly how he wants it to be.

He's an understated guy. His message to us throughout the campaign, even during the qualifiers, has been that it's all about the players. 

We as are simply there to support the lads, help them develop and make sure it's an enjoyable process. Other than that, he wants us to take a back seat.

Lee is a unique person and he's got a perfect skill set when it comes to managing — particularly with the emotional aspect.

He has fostered an individual relationship with every player in the dressing room, as well as the support staff. Everyone trusts him and there's a real buy-in from the group.

Not only does he care so much, he has great tactical knowledge and delivery when it comes to communication. He ticks every box.

Who knows where his managerial career will take him but I'm absolutely convinced he's going to achieve great things.

Stars of the show

It would be wrong of me to pick out two or three stars from our group because it was such a team effort.

Even the lads who weren't playing did so much to push the others on in training and contribute when called upon.

James Trafford grabbed the headlines with his penalty heroics — but that didn't surprise any of us. 

He had to make some serious saves throughout the tournament to earn those six clean sheets and he's a class act, as the whole footballing world is soon going to see.

Then you have players like James Garner playing out of position at right-back. He embraced that challenge so well and his attitude was admirable.

Both of our centre-backs were immense. In midfield, Angel Gomes and Curtis Jones both put in man-of-the-match performances in different games.

Noni Madueke was a constant threat. Emile Smith Rowe and Cole Palmer got two goals each. Morgan Gibbs-White got three assists and Anthony Gordon got Player of the Tournament.

We're still to have conversations about our future as a coaching team but I'm certain the future is bright!

Joleon Lescott was speaking to Matthew Hill