Jordan Henderson claims England's fearless youngsters hold the key to a successful World Cup campaign in Brazil.
At 23 years old Henderson is hardly a veteran but he's also seen the likes of Luke Shaw, 18, Raheem Sterling, 19, and Ross Barkley, 20, shine this season.
The former Sunderland schemer has had a pretty impressive past 12 months himself, having cemented his place alongside Steven Gerrard in the heart of Liverpool and England's midfield.
Henderson looks set to start against Italy in the Group D opener with Roy Hodgson opting for caution rather than courage in Manaus.
However it's the Three Lions' bold approach that will eventually pay dividends according to Henderson.
"You can see these young players have no fear, the likes of Raheem Sterling, Luke Shaw and Ross Barkley," he said.
"They've all been fantastic since they've come into training and they've shown in the warm-up games exactly what they're about and shown no fear at all. That can only be a plus for us."
Henderson doesn't have to be sacrificed for the Three Lions to blossom as an attacking unit, though.
He's answered many of his critics – including former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson – emphatically with his performances for club and country this term.
After a difficult debut season at Anfield, the former England U21 captain won the faith of boss Brendan Rodgers and almost helped the Reds claim an unlikely Premier League title.
And he appears to have beaten off the likes of Barkley, Jack Wilshere and Frank Lampard for an England shirt – for the Italy clash at least.
"I hope I'm going to have a key role to play at this World Cup," added Henderson, who was almost swapped for Fulham's Clint Dempsey in 2012. "I'll just give everything I've got, I'll do my best when called upon.
"I've made sure I've been training hard, preparing myself well for the game and hopefully play some part. And hopefully if I do play then I'll make sure I give everything I've got.
"We've got a lot of midfielders in the group who are top players to be honest. If you look at Frank Lampard he's one of the most experienced players, especially in this team.
"He's been fantastic in training and you've seen for many years how good he is, and obviously people like Ross and Jack Wilshere can play in the middle, so there's places to be fought for."
If Henderson does line up alongside Gerrard for his 12th cap he admits he owes a debt of gratitude to his 32-year-old captain.
"He's a big influence, of course," continued Henderson. "I think everybody can see that, whether its leading on the pitch or setting an example to all of us off the pitch, talking to the younger players and encouraging players.
"He's a top player, but he's also a top person as well and that goes a long way."
Much has been made of the hot and humid conditions that await England at the Arena Amazonia, but in Henderson they appear to have the lung-busting answer.
He covered almost 360km in the Premier League last year, the fourth best figures in the division, so it's little surprise the conditions hold no fear to the Sunderland academy graduate.
"The heat is difficult, but you've got to try to not even think about it," he added. "We've done adaptation training in chambers and in the warm weather in Miami and Portugal and now here, so hopefully our bodies will have adapted to it.
"Obviously it's going to be hot, but you've just got to forget about that and concentrate on the game, and I'm sure we've got fit enough lads to deal with it."
