Raheem Sterling was the outstanding player in England's 1-1 draw against Italy on Tuesday night. Gareth Southgate will be encouraged that the Manchester City forward can be a key figure at the World Cup in this new central role, writes Adam Bate from Wembley.
Asked before Tuesday's game at Wembley whether the national team were now benefiting from his stunning progress under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the oft-criticised Raheem Sterling had been quick to point something out. "It has not benefited England at all yet, as I have not really got to the level I want to get to," he explained.
That looks to be changing. This was only a friendly, but Sterling's impressive performance in England's 1-1 draw against Italy will have encouraged Gareth Southgate that the 23-year-old forward can play a key role this summer. Deployed centrally, he was so often the catalyst for his team's best football, playing with real confidence at times.
For all his brilliance for Manchester City this season, scoring 15 goals in 26 Premier League appearances, the fear remains that Sterling finds himself in a very different situation for England. Replicating his club form when he is being served by Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier rather than Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva is no certainty.
However, Sterling seemed to take it upon himself to make things happen, embracing the greater creative responsibility in a standout display. He played more key passes than anyone else on the pitch, twice putting Jamie Vardy through on goal in the opening stages, finding space in that pocket between Italy's defence and midfield.
That was Southgate's great hope in playing Sterling up front. "We were a massive threat, far more than we have been in previous games," he said afterwards. "With Raheem in that position off Vardy, when you have got somebody of that dribbling ability in the middle of the field, it is a different problem for the opposition."
According to Opta, Sterling completed five dribbles on the night, more than any player on either team. Crucially for England and just as Southgate had anticipated, because of Sterling's positioning, those dribbles came in areas where he could really hurt the opposition. Indeed, it was one such run that led to England's opening goal.
Hacked down at the second attempt, Sterling won a free-kick in a dangerous area that Jesse Lingard had the presence of mind to take quickly, allowing Vardy to crash the ball into the top right corner of the net. Sterling was at it again soon after, running at the heart of Italy's defence before picking out Ashley Young whose cross-shot went for a corner.
It was another example of him making the right decisions in the final third. "Gareth's always trying to help us strikers doing drills to get us better and improving," he had said on the eve of the game, and there were signs of that too with Southgate highlighting his interplay with Lingard and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a major plus point.
Against the Netherlands on Friday evening in Amsterdam, Sterling seemed to find himself ahead of the play, but at Wembley, he was happy to drop deeper in order to get on the ball. There was a period just before half-time when he began to play with a real swagger, helping to control the game with England a goal up.
It also happened to be when England looked at their best, turning their 3-5-2 formation into something more fluid. In the second half, he was less involved once Southgate's five substitutions, by his own admission, robbed the team of some cohesion. But there were still moments after the interval that offered plenty of cause for optimism.
In particular, there was the passage of play where Sterling showed strength and desire to latch onto Young's through-ball before displaying skill and awareness to return the ball to the wing-back in the left channel. It required a last-ditch challenge to deny him. Soon after, Sterling danced inside to set up Oxlade-Chamberlain for another shot on target.
All that was lacking was a goal of his own. One neat combination with Lingard and Adam Lallana was as close as he came and until a scoring record of two goals in 36 games for his country improves, perhaps that concern will remain. But with Harry Kane likely to be Sterling's strike partner in at the World Cup, goals should not be an issue. What's needed is his creative spark.
It is that ability to find that last pass when playing at pace in the final third that is so vital. Sterling, for all the criticism he has endured, is not only the best man to do that, but it was also evident from his efforts at Wembley that he really wants to do it too. The signs are there that he is ready to become England's key man this summer in Russia.