Eastick admitted the presence of McClaren gave his players and staff a big lift as the senior coach attended not only last Thursday's 2-0 defeat at Hartlepool but also a behind-closed-doors practice match two days before.

To Eastick, it shows McClaren is hoping to achieve with England a similar feat as he did in his previous job as Middlesbrough manager - a club where talented players from the successful academy programme were constantly given first-team opportunities.

Eastick said: "It mirrors club football in a way, because a club manager would naturally take an interest in the academy at their club.

"I'm a great believer in judging people on what they leave behind, and if you look at Middlesbrough Football Club Steve has left a great infrastructure in terms of youth development. That tells you he's got a genuine interest in young players, and given time I'm sure that will come into the international set-up.

"There needs to be continuity right the way through the set-up like at clubs. At international level it's nice to know there's a core to the work from the Under-16s through to senior level. It's important to get everybody singing from the same hymn sheet."

Unfortunately, McClaren did not get to see the right result for the Under-18s on the night, but Eastick is confident that if young players consistently play to a high enough standard, they have a senior coach who will give them the opportunity to perform at a higher level.

He added: "The players' performances dictate where they play, but I'm sure if there's a player in an academy team at club level who needs to be pushed up a level, the staff would have no hesitation in doing that. So the same presumably will apply at international level.

"I was delighted Steve put his head into the dressing room and had a brief chat with the staff. We're very grateful for his support and we believe he'll continue to show an interest in all the development teams."