In Depth: Is Antonio Conte right? Could England be contenders at the World Cup after U-17 success?

What, you haven’t heard? It turns out England are really quite good at football. At age group level at least. They won the Under-17 World Cup with a remarkable comeback against Spain on Saturday. Check it out...

Absolutely not. This year has been a pretty special period for England’s age-group teams. The Under-17s added the World Cup to the title won by the Under-20s, while they only narrowly missed out on making it a double, losing to Spain on penalties in the European Championships in April.

There was further success in the Euros, with the Under-19s taking the title, while the Under-21s made the semi-finals.

To put that in context, Brazil are the only other team to have been Under 20 and Under 17 World Cup winners in the same year. Exalted company indeed.

As you can imagine, there has been some pretty lavish praise following the victory. Both from England players past and present.

But that is expected. It happens with every speck of promise for young England footballers. But there are, perhaps, words from one man who should be considered much more pertinent. Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who led one of the weakest Italy sides in recent memory to the cusp of the semi-finals of Euro 2016, believes England could, finally, be ready to challenge in a major tournament.

The 48-year-old, who is not usually prone to pointless plaudits, said: “I think football in England is growing in an incredible way because it is not the only result the young players [have had].

“The under-19s won, the under-20s have won and the under-21s also played a really good European Championship. It means football in England is growing and improving a lot. I am sure that in the future it will be very difficult to beat the England national team, the first team.

Well, yes and no. Despite England's qualifying for Russia 2018 by extending their run of unbeaten matches in qualifying for major competitions to 38 matches, next year's showpiece is too soon. Gareth Southgate was ushered in as manager after the downfall of Sam Allardyce and has little managerial experience, or at least experience of managerial success. His team has put on some solid yet stilted shows to beat the likes of the Slovenia and Lithuania but these results will hardly have the likes of Germany and Brazil – both powerhouses of the current game and, intriguingly, next up on the Three Lions' friendly roster – trembling with trepidation.

Yet there are a few reasons to be optimistic for a decent showing in Russia. Two major positives go by the name Harry: Kane and Winks. That is, the emergence of the former as a world-class striker, and the latter as a genuine contender to add some much-needed creativity to the midfield.

Yes, Winks has only played one match for his country but that he has featured at all shows Southgate, despite his apparent failings, is willing to give talented youngsters a chance. He will not blood any of the recent successes from age-group level in Russia, next summer is too soon for a clutch of players with a handful of Premier League appearances between them. But his past as the Under 21s coach could prove extremely useful in the next few seasons, should he remain in charge.

It is remarkable what a curmudgeonly defence, plus the odd decent player, dotted around the team can do: remember Greece at Euro 2004 and Portugal last year?

It is perhaps time to proffer some praise for the FA. Amongst their multitude of recent failings in the Mark Sampson case, they have at least presided over the most successful youth set-up in their history.

Being awash with money helps, as the £120million poured into the St George's Park HQ shows, but the organisation's attention to the deficits of recent generations of England's footballers has also been telling.

It was Southgate and technical director Dan Ashworth who launched the 'England DNA Philosophy' in 2014, and although it seems like and incredibly corporate message, it is bearing fruit.

"England teams aim to dominate possession intelligently, selecting the right moments to progress the play and penetrate the opposition," reads a prominent section on the FA's website. And you'd have to say, that is pretty much what the Under-17s achieved in their success.

It was former FA chairman Greg Dyke's much-derided suggestion that England should target victory at the 2022 World Cup.

He later watered down his claim but it is not looking as fanciful any more. Conte does not think it is absurd by any means, while U20s boss Paul Simpson also believes the timing could be perfect for this clutch of youngsters.

He told the BBC: "The players who won the U20s this summer, in five years' time they may be ready to go to a World Cup. It is still the target. We'd be delighted if we get success in 2018 - but we are looking at 2022.

"We want to keep that going so next year is the same, and the year after."

Of course much still has to fall into place for England to stand a legitimate chance of success in Qatar – not least some form or progress in Russia next year.

The first obstacle has been overcome – to get England winning at age-group level. Now, to continue the effect in the senior side, the players must be allowed to jump an even bigger hurdle – top-flight experience.

The English top-flight is the most competitive in the world in terms of strength in depth. Compared with their counterparts in the other 'Big Five' leagues in Europe, England's youngsters are not getting as much game time.

However, there are signs this could be changing. With price tags reaching ludicrous levels, and chairmen looking for sustained success on multiple fronts, many top-flight managers are turning to their youth set ups to bolster their first-team squads. Mauricio Pochettino is the prime example, with much of his young Tottenham team guaranteed starting places in the England side at the moment. But even arch-pragmatist Jose Mourinho has shown he will play the likes of Marcus Rashford if they consistently deliver.

Pep Guardiola – having splashed around £150million on full-backs alone last summer – does not seem to be prone to giving too many youngsters a chance at Manchester City, given he really needs to secure some silverware this season. However, should that happen, he is fully aware of the talent at his disposal. He hailed Phil Foden, the Golden Ball winner in India, as a 'gift' after a superb display against Manchester United in their tour of the United States over the summer.

Remember, this is a man who took many of Barcelona's current superstar talents, including Lionel Messi, through La Masia academy and into the first team when he was promoted to manager after running the youth set up.

"I don't have words. I would like to have the right words to describe what I saw," he said of Foden back in July.

"I've not seen something like I saw today for a long time. His performance was another level. He's a City fan and loves the club. He's a gift for us. He's special... he played against (Paul) Pogba, (Ander) Herrera and after that (Michael) Carrick."

So for Foden at least it seems like just a matter of time, even with the array of attacking talent at his manager's disposal, before he starts to make some sort of impression on the first team.

After that it is whether money and motivation affects the youngsters. Will they be spoilt but getting 'too much, too soon' with bumper deals designed to keep them at their current clubs and away a from the clutches of their rivals?

It remains to be seen how the youngsters react to their new-found success. But the likes of Foden, a seemingly down-to-earth lad, who still has no agent and enjoys fishing trips with his father, have half a chance. Jadon Sancho, whose recall by Borussia Dortmund half-way through the U17s' campaign shows how much he is valued, is another who is making progress. He has already made his Bundesliga debut for the German club, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin, a regular for Everton, supports the notion that, for this bunch, the attitude seems to be there. There will be wastage, of course. Many, if not most, of the stars of the summer will fade away or slip down the divisions. But, crucially, the best seem to be on a long road to some sort of sustained success.

Russia is too soon for England and their selection of youth stars. But Conte is right, there is no reason they should not shine in Qatar. Lets just agree to steer clear of undermining the poor souls at the next 'Golden Generation', shall we?