Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is delighted with England's experimental squad this week.

Ferdinand believes the World Cup flop in the summer has given this new generation the ideal platform to prove there is a bright future for ­English football.

The centre-back said: "Everyone keeps saying we are better than we showed at the World Cup, we have got players who are better than this or that, but we have never really done it in tournaments.

"We can't really say that we are. On paper, we look better than what we are because of the ­players we have got, the clubs that they play at, the standard that they play at every week, but we have not been able to bring that into the ­international arena.

"The good thing is there are a lot of young ­players now coming through and getting their ­opportunities.

"You can see that with the likes of Jack Wilshere, who has been playing well, getting rave reviews and is now getting into the squads.

"So, it bodes well hopefully for the future - we get to see how good these kids are earlier than we probably would have thought.

"If we had had a great World Cup, then they probably wouldn't be getting a mention, but we didn't, so, rightly so, these kids are getting a chance.

"It's down to the manager to get the team ready over the next two years. He has got to blend them in at the right time, dip them in at the right times.

"However, they come into a good team framework, with experienced players as well as young players, so they have good people to lean on."