The squad flies out to South Africa on Monday ahead of a friendly game in Durban on Thursday night and now there will be a very special part of the itinerary added to Wednesday's schedule.

"On Wednesday morning, the England players will fly from Durban to Johannesburg for a mid-morning meeting with Nelson Mandela, returning to Durban just after midday," The FA's Head of Media Relations, Adrian Bevington, confirmed to us on Thursday.

"It is unusual for a team to make a journey in this way the day before a game," he continued. "But this is an unusual, not to mention highly historic, opportunity that doesn't come around too often.

"The meeting won't affect England's training schedule either. The squad are not due to train until 5pm on Wednesday at the match stadium. Those plans remain in place."

Click here to view the in-depth profiles of the England squad