France and Finland join the hosts and the Three Lions in a valuable warm-up for March’s UEFA Under-17 European Championship Pre-Qualifying tournament, and Peacock is confident that his players will give a good account of themselves.

Talking to TheFA.com, he said: "The last week has seen a number of players drafted in due to injuries [including Myles Weston of Charlton replacing Paul Green of Aston Villa today], but we have a very interesting blend of youth and experience.

"This may sound odd when you are talking about boys of 15 and 16, but some of these players have already played in a European Championships, whilst almost all have featured in international tournaments at Under-16 or Under-17 level."

Manchester United’s Lee Martin made headlines earlier this season when he was signed by the current Premier League Champions from Wimbledon, but at international level, he is still relatively inexperienced.

"Lee made his international debut last November, and due to his move, is a name that people recognise. However, you have to remember that he is still very young, and so in this squad, I will be looking to players like Derby’s Nathan Doyle and West Ham’s Mark Noble to provide some leadership.

"The next four or five days give myself, Nigel Pearson and Martin Thomas a good chance to see the boys train and work on a number of areas ahead of the Pre-Qualifying tournament at the end of March, and I believe that we have a good blend of pace, skill, strength and experience."

Portugal and France are renowned as breeding grounds of talented young international players, and Peacock believes that young English players can also look to the future with confidence.

"Anyone who watched the Under-21s on Tuesday night will see how the development of English players is now reaping rewards. Steven Taylor who was playing for the Under-17s less than a year ago made his debut, and Dean Ashton, John Welsh, David Bentley and Justin Hoyte are all fine examples of players who have made their way through the England age groups.

"Young players at Under-16 or Under-17 level know that with the set-up we have, if they work hard and keep progressing, they will get their chance."

The challenge of Portugal and France will be familiar to a lot of the squad, after recent meetings at Under-16 level, and Peacock knows that they will be two tough fixtures.

"Portugal are very talented both individually and collectively, whilst France will be another tough test, as they are gearing up as hosts of this year’s Under-17 European Championships.

"Finland are more of an unknown quantity, but I am delighted that we will get to play against them, as we are drawn against two Scandinavian countries [Norway and Iceland] as well as Armenia in our pre-qualifying group, so this will be perfect preparation for our players to see a different style of play and tactics close-up."

TheFA.com will catch up with John and the squad on Monday to reflect on England’s first two games, ahead of their final game against Finland on Tuesday morning.