Mainoo's total football left the Oranges squashed

NOT unusually, an English player was squeezed by orange, surrounded by Dutch opponents.

- ANDY DUNN

But this was no ordinary English player, he was the youngest to appear in the semifinals of a major tournament.

This was Kobbie Mainoo.

And he simply shimmied, feinted one way then the other before slipping a delicious short pass into Phil Foden, whose shot was trapped on the line by Denzel Dumfries.

That was midway through a first half characterised by Bukayo Saka arguably England's player of the tournament - tormenting the Dutch defence. Mainoo is 19 years old, Saka 22, Foden 24.

Oh, and then there is 21-year-old Jude Bellingham.

Clearly, there are more immediate ramifications of this contest, but when Gareth Southgate has passed on the managerial baton, his successor will have a core of young players that would be envied by any other international coach.

In this win against the orange (Ollie Watkins and co celebrate, left), Mainoo showed the English future is very bright indeed.

His performance in the first 45 minutes was so accomplished that it was hard to believe it did not create the platform for an English half-time lead.