One of England Under-21's all-time heroes, Gary Owen, has told the current crop of Young Lions to relish the experience of playing in the European Championships and use it as a stepping stone on the international ladder.

Owen was part of the first England side to ever win the tournament in 1982, scoring twice in the first leg of the final against West Germany.

And now Nigel Reo-Coker and his men have the perfect chance to follow in the footsteps of that great side and go on to earn full international honours on the back of the success.

Owen said: "It felt great to be progressing on the ladder and quite a lot of the team I played with went to the World Cup with the senior side.

"It was always in the back of your mind that if you played well for the Under-21s, you would get to represent your country at higher levels.

"A lot of the players who play for the Under-21s don't get to experience playing against foreign opposition with their clubs, so a tournament like this is a great opportunity.

"The final was two-legged in those days and we beat West Germany on aggregate. They had a good team with players like Rudi Voller, so it was one of the highlights of my career when we beat them."

Owen also believes being part of an England Under-21 team on tour can be an eye-opening experience in itself, which could enhance a young player's game as well as friendships within the squad.

He added: "A lot of the players you play with are people who you progress through England Youth levels with.

"It's quite interesting to see how different clubs train their players and the coach Dave Sexton made sure you never roomed with a player from your own club.

"I roomed with Steve Williams of Southampton and Arsenal, and we ended up such good friends that I was best man at his wedding."

England have won the European Under-21 Championships twice.

Here is the line-up for the victory in 1982:

England 3-1 West Germany
First Leg
Bramall Lane
Scorers: Gary Owen 2 (1 pen), Justin Fashanu
England: I Hesford (Blackpool), D Thomas (Coventry City), T Fenwick (QPR), S Lee (Liverpool), M Duxbury (Manchester United), T Caton (Manchester City), P Goddard West Ham United), S McCall (Ipswich Town), G Shaw (Aston Villa), G Owen (West Bromwich Albion), D Hodgson (Liverpool). Subs: J Fashanu (Notts County).

West Germany 3-2 England
Second Leg
Bremen
Scorers: Duxbury, Goddard
England: I Hesford (Blackpool), D Thomas (Coventry City), T Fenwick (QPR), S Lee (Liverpool), M Duxbury (Manchester United), T Caton (Manchester City), P Goddard West Ham United), S McCall (Ipswich Town), G Shaw (Aston Villa), G Owen (West Bromwich Albion), A Heath (Everton). Subs: D Hodgson (Liverpool), R Ranson (Manchester City).