First choice: Capello's preferred strike partnership is Rooney and Carroll

‘We have lost a lot of experience in Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, but you can see how the team is fresh and full of energy.

‘The football we are playing is quick. It is up to the likes of myself, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to make sure these boys keep developing.’

Smalling said: ‘There is an excitement in terms of the  endless potential here. We have nowhere near reached it and are just looking forward to how far we can go.

‘If the manager keeps on giving us chances, hopefully the lads will keep on taking them.

‘Wayne Rooney is young in terms of his age but is actually one of the more experienced players, and the young players try to learn from them and take that experience on board.’

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