Danny Welbeck was determined to make his maiden England goal the first of many after scoring the winner in the final European Championship warm-up against Belgium.
Manchester United striker Welbeck sealed a 1-0 friendly victory at Wembley with a delightful lobbed finish in what was his fifth cap.
“To get my first England goal in that way, obviously I’m really delighted and it’s a massive honour,” the 21-year-old said. “I’m just really looking to build on that performance and get more games under my belt and more goals.”
“It’s something I’ve been waiting for for a long time,” He added: “I’ve had a few caps under my belt and one or two starts. So, just to get the goal today, I’m really delighted.”
Old Trafford team-mate Ashley Young laid on Welbeck’s goal and the latter claimed their understanding today felt just the same as at club level.
“It’s still the same, me and Ashley playing together,” he said. “We know each other’s games and obviously we’re training with each other day in and day out. “So, it was really good to start up top with him.”
The last two friendlies have seen new England manager Roy Hodgson blood all four of his Euro 2012 strikers.
Welbeck was relishing the competition for places.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “We’ve got an array of talent across the whole squad and I think everybody’s just pushing forward to get on the pitch and show what they can do. “And that’s only good for England.”
He added of what would be his first major championships: “It’s really exciting – exciting times ahead. “Not just the younger members of the squad, but everybody’s looking forward to it and can’t wait to get out there.”
Welbeck hailed Belgium as an excellent test for England, who were arguably second best today despite the result.
“We know the quality of players that Belgium have got, as we saw today,” Welbeck said. “A few of them play in the Premier League and we just know that was a tough test. “But we know that once we get out there, we’ve got to give it our best, be organised in our game, and obviously try to get the wins.”
