Due to a vast number of injuries to first-team regulars, Gareth Southgate’s England squad had a youthful and experimental feel to it for the recent friendlies against top sides Germany and Brazil.

The lack of international experience certainly didn’t show on the pitch though, with the Three Lions holding both Germany and Brazil – the top two sides in the world – to creditable draws at Wembley.

Southgate awarded six players their first England cap across the two nights, with five of these being players that have featured for the Under-21 side over the course of the past few years.

With some impressive debuts, are any worth considering as a pick now the Premier League’s back?

Jordan Pickford – Everton

Awarded his debut as a result of an injury to Stoke City’s Jack Butland, the Everton number one repelled anything reigning world champions Germany had to throw at him in an assured display.

He got down well to push away two efforts from Timo Werner during the first-half and it set the tone for the evening, with Pickford commanding his area expertly and certainly catching the eye.

The issue is that he’ll be returning to an Everton outfit that are managerless and without a top-flight clean sheet since the opening day of the season – ten matches ago – and the lack of defensive support from his back-line has left the 23-year-old heavily exposed.

He could be one to watch, but for the meantime there are more miserly goalkeeper to choose from.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – Crystal Palace

Perhaps the pick of the six debutants, Crystal Palace midfielder Loftus-Cheek made the transition from the Under-21 to the senior side look a breeze with a masterful performance against Germany.

He showed a sense of creativity and attacking flair that was absent from England’s tepid qualifying process, taking the game to the Germans and producing some impressive box-to-box runs at times.

The issue is that he does play for Palace, a side that have notoriously been struggling for goals this season, and as such he has only managed a single assist (and no goals) from seven league matches.

This has earnt him just 23 points, and compared to the likes of teammate Wilfried Zaha – who has accumulated 25 points from far less football – there looks to be better options for a midfield berth.

But confidence will be high upon his return to domestic action, and with the test of fellow strugglers Everton coming up straight away it’s the perfect time for Loftus-Cheek to show his newfound international prowess – and he could well be worth a short-term gamble when it comes to your side.

Joe Gomez – Liverpool

Whilst Loftus-Cheek may have been man of the match against the Germans, Gomez certainly laid down his claim for a 2018 World Cup berth with an exceptional defensive display on Tuesday night.

Tasked with the small deed of keeping Neymar quiet – as well as Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho – the 20-year-old excelled, never allowing his concentration to waver for a second as he was subjected to large spells of Brazilian pressure, and he looked like a seasoned international.

But whilst he may have caught the eye on an individual level this season, there’s no escaping from the fact that he’s part of a Liverpool defence that’s been suspect since the opening day at Watford.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have conceded 17 goals already this year – the worst record by far of any top six sides – and although Gomez had slotted in admirably for the injured Nathaniel Clyne on the right side of defence the failure of Liverpool’s chosen centre-back pairings leaves it difficult to select him.

Dominic Solanke – Liverpool

His call-up for the friendly against Brazil may have come as a surprise to most after his lack of domestic action but Solanke certainly showed why he was named the best player during England’s recent Under-20 World Cup triumph, a tournament where the youngster finished top goal-scorer.

During his 15-minute cameo against the Brazilians he added some much-needed impetus to the hosts’ play, immediately driving at the opposition and nutmegging Fernandinho with his fast feet.

Yet the fact of the matter is that Solanke has been awarded his first international cap before he’s been awarded his first league Liverpool start, rendering any consideration for him as a non-starter.

Tammy Abraham – Swansea

Whilst there was a lot of endeavour from the Swansea City striker during his two cameo roles over the past week, Abraham will admit he struggled to fashion any clear chances against top defenders.

His lateral movements caused problems at times but Germany’s Mats Hummels gave him little room to breathe during his first start for the senior side, with a deflected effort wide the closest he came to finding the net, whilst he was inches away from reaching Kyle Walker’s cross against Brazil late on.

Whilst he failed to make his debut games memorable in a goal-scoring sense, the experience of being with the senior side could have a profound effect when heading back to the Premier League.

The 20-year-old has already been the catalyst for anything good happening on the field for Swansea so far this season, scoring over half of the Welsh side’s top-flight goals (four of seven) whilst contributing an assist, giving him a handsome total of 46 Draft Fantasy points after 11 appearances.

It seems that whenever the Swans score, Abraham is involved in one way or another, and the youngster could be worth outside consideration ahead of the Premier League’s return on Saturday.

Jack Cork – Burnley

Perhaps the biggest winner of the injury withdrawals was Burnley midfielder Cork, who was a late addition to the squad for the visit of Germany after Fabian Delph and Jordan Henderson pulled out.

He may have only been awarded five minutes from the substitutes bench against Germany but the fact that he was drafted in by Southgate is testament to the impact he’s had for Burnley this season.

Yet whilst the 28-year-old hasn’t missed a minute of Premier League action since joining from Swansea City over the summer, consolidating the Clarets’ midfield, he’ll never earn the big points.

His primary role as a deep-lying midfielder means that he rarely gets involved in Burnley attacks, instead setting up to stop counter-attacks and turn possession over again, although this does mean that he’s proficient under the ‘Kante Rule’ – after 11 games, he’s earnt 20 of his 46 points from this.