Fulham management are expecting big things from their England U17 defender Matthew Briggs.

"Matthew's been working with Gary Brazil with the Under 18s and has had a number of run outs with Billy McKinlay in the Reserve side," John Murtough, Fulham's Head of Youth, told the club's website.

"He's been picked for England and has played in two positions for the national side, at left back and as a left-sided centre half. He's still growing but has a great work ethic and desire to do well. We're happy with how he's progressing but we're careful to take it one step at a time.

"It's important that we work together with the FA. When your Academy boys go away on international duty, they're playing against some of the best boys in Europe so it's important to know how they perform against some of Europe's best. We always review their international performances and work together to help produce the all-round player.

"We have a very close working relationship with the Football Association. For example, the week before Matthew went out to the Algarve Tournament, John Peacock, the England Under-17 coach, came to the Club and spent the day here talking to the staff and to Matthew. We want to make sure that we're all working together to ensure we get the best for our players."