Borussia Dortmund's current English contingent Jobe Bellingham and Ethan Nwaneri have already given us reasons to be excited for the new season. Now, the pair has just put England U21 side on the brink of a European Championship qualification.
The Young Lions beat Kazakhstan U21 4-2 at the Molineaux to come in within a point of reaching next year's showpiece in Albania and Serbia.
Bellingham delivers Man of the Match performance with 2 assists
Unlike his older brother Jude Bellingham, who is a prolific attacking midfielder with a formidable record at goal contributions, Jobe is operates in a more withdrawn, central midfield role tasked with winning back possession, making penetrative, line-breaking passes and carrying the ball forward. But that isn't to suggest he possesses no attacking qualities.
Remember, Jobe too began his career as an attacking midfielder with Birmingham and we saw glimpses of that last weekend when he made a crucial assist for Maximilian Beier's winning goal against VfB Stuttgart. On Wednesday, he flashed his creative brilliance again with two vital assists.
He supplied the pass to Josh Acheampong in the 32nd minute which the Chelsea defender fired low to put the hosts 2-1 up and delivered a cross to Will Lankshear to nod home in stoppage-time for their fourth goal.
Showing encouraging poise and purpose, Bellingham impressed with his ability to link plays and always arrive in the right place at the right time. He was awarded the Man of the Match prize while England U21 manager Lee Carsley hailed the 21-year-old as "outstanding", also stating that he's taken cognizance of his rapid development at Dortmund.
Nwaneri bags pre-assist from set-piece
Ethan Nwaneri, whom Dortmund signed on a deadline day loan from Arsenal, reminded everyone of his talents by creating a goal on a productive day for the Young Lions. At the hour mark, he whipped in a lovely free-kick that Acheampong headed back across the goal for Max Alleyne to finish and restore England U21's lead at 3-2.
Long before that, Nwaneri had also demonstrated his willingness to have a go at the goal with fearless directness, firing a low drive in the first half that was saved and then getting another shot away early into the second half, although this one flew narrowly wide off target.
Both of Dortmund's youngsters enjoyed a productive evening, unlocking their creative abilities to put England's Under-21 side on the cusp of Euro qualification. Dortmund fans will hope both these starlets will return to club duties carrying this momentum with them and fuel their title ambitions.
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