As England continue their preparations for the 2022 World Cup with friendlies against Switzerland and Cote d'Ivoire, we've decided to take a look back.
Specifically, we're turning the clock back to 2017.
The year when England's under-17s won the World Cup in India, its under-20s triumphed in South Korea, and Neil Dewsnip's Young Lions emerged victorious in the Toulon Tournament. Things were looking pretty good for the future, to say the least.
The senior team wasn't doing too badly, either. England had shaken off the disappointment of Euro 2016 and the strangeness of Sam Allardyce's brief reign, with Gareth Southgate overseeing an unbeaten qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup.
Picking an England team of the future is always a challenge, but we did the best we could. In these circumstances it's a case of working out which of the current generation have staying power, and which of the next group (or even the one after that) will be ready at a young age.
Of course, sometimes you'll get age-group talents who are left waiting years and years before making it work - Conor Coady was well into his twenties when he made his senior bow, for example. There are others, meanwhile, who break through in their teens or early twenties but are out of the picture five years later.
The challenge for us came from the fact that there was almost too much young talent to choose from. Some members of those young squads have made the step up, but others - for whatever reason - have not.
Mirror Football 's dream XI for 2022 was a blend of youth and experience; those who had already thrived and those who might do in the future. Here's what it looked like, and here's what that starting XI are up to now, with Qatar just months away.
Jordan Pickford
Back in October 2017, Pickford had yet to make his senior debut for England, though he had been on the bench a handful of times. However, as we recognised at the time, it looked like his elevation was a case of when rather than if.
The Everton keeper got his first start just weeks later, against Germany, and has gone to two tournaments as first choice under Southgate. There's increasing pressure now from the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, but Pickford has delivered on expectations.
Joe Gomez
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There was plenty of talent at right-back in those 2017 squads, with Chelsea's Reece James part of the Toulon Tournament group. However, Gomez - in part due to his versatility across the back four - looked the more likely prospect in the medium term.
We weren't to know the role of full-backs would change so drastically over the last five years, moving the Liverpool man into a more central role, though we might have been wary of his injury record. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old has 11 caps to his name, most recently starting the friendly against Wales in 2020.
Dael Fry
A near-contemporary of the Liverpool man, Fry was in the successful under-20 squad of 2017, and had also won the under-17 Euros with Gomez back in 2014. He showed progress for England at age-group level, winning the Toulon Tournament in 2018, but has yet to make the step up to senior recognition.
At the time, there was plenty to suggest he might make the leap. Fry was a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday when he made his Boro debut, but his 150 career league games for the Teessiders have all come in the second tier.
Joel Latibeaudiere
England's under-17 world champions succeeded in part due to their impressive young defenders. However, while Marc Guehi recently earned a maiden senior call-up, Latibeaudiere is still waiting.
A product of Manchester City's academy, the 22-year-old left the Etihad Stadium without a senior appearance to his name. He has been making a name for himself with Swansea City, though, and last season - along with Guehi - was part of a squad which came within 90 minutes of Premier League football.
Kyle Walker-Peters
There are three uncapped players in the current senior squad, and Walker-Peters is one of the trio. The versatile full-back had already made his Premier League bow for Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, but would need to wait to land on Southgate's radar.
In the end, Walker-Peters needed to leave Spurs to achieve that feat. However, after some impressive form for Southampton on both sides of Ralph Hasenhuttl's back four, the international recognition is well-deserved,
Nathaniel Chalobah
Back in 2017, Chalobah had left title-winners Chelsea for hopes of more game time with Watford, but his first season was curtailed by injury. That didn't stop the midfielder returning to the England fold in 2018, though, and he was handed a long-awaited debut in a Nations League victory over Spain.
He's yet to add to that tally, though, despite a reunion with former Hornets boss Marco Silva at Fulham. Indeed, his younger brother Trevoh looks closer to the squad right now after breaking into the Chelsea first team under Thomas Tuchel.
Josh Onomah
The 2017 under-17 World Cup showcased plenty of players who would go on to reach the top. Fede Valverde was one. Lautaro Martinez another. For a while, it looked like Josh Onomah had the goods to join that club, but it didn't work out.
A product of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, the midfielder played for England at every level up to under-21, but never beyond. He left Spurs in 2019, having shown some quality along the way, and is now on the verge of a Premier League return with Fulham.
Dele Alli
If anyone looked like a sure bet in 2017, surely it was Dele Alli. After a breakthrough campaign with Spurs in 2015-16, he scored a career-best 18 league goals the following year as the London club finished runners-up in the Premier League.
When he scored in the World Cup quarter-final in 2018, things were going according to plan. Four years later, though, and he couldn't be much further from an England recall and is fighting to save his Premier League career after a January move to Everton.
Phil Foden
Foden was one of the stars of the under-17 squad, and his career has taken the arc you'd have hoped for back in 2017. That's despite those early days when there were concerns about his lack of game time at Manchester City.
Now 21, the City forward has ticked off the boxes marked 'first England cap', 'first England goal' and 'first major tournament'. After his exploits at Euro 2020, and in the months since, it would be a surprise if he isn't on the plane in November.
Harry Kane
Even in 2017, it seemed clear Kane would be a big part of England's future as well as its present. Sure enough, not only does he have the captain's armband, but he's closing in on the all-time record for England goals.
The 28-year-old is on 48 in 67 appearances for the Three Lions, winning a World Cup golden boot in 2018. With Wayne Rooney reaching 53 before hanging up his boots, Kane could even get to the top of the list before the World Cup.
Rhian Brewster
Sometimes things don't go exactly to plan, and Rhian Brewster's career path between 2017 and 2022 certainly fits that bill. The teenager had top-scored at the under-17 World Cup, with his eight goals including a hat-trick in the quarter-final against the United States and the semi against Brazil.
At the time, he was still a Liverpool player, and the future seemed bright even after an untimely injury. He's struggled since completing a big-money move to Sheffield United, though, with just four goals to his name. At 21 years of age, Brewster can still work his way back to the highest level, but he's far down the England pecking order right now.
