Lee Carsley finds himself navigating a new roster, yet England’s Under-21 team remains unstoppable, recently overpowering Slovakia with a decisive 4-0 victory.

This success revisits the scene of their Under-21 European Championship triumph in Slovakia last summer, where Carsley’s squad celebrated consecutive wins.

At St George’s Park, the focus is on reshaping the team to achieve an unprecedented third consecutive championship when the tournament returns in 2027.

Remarkably, the team has not conceded a single goal in their five qualifying matches and now sits atop Group D. Here are the three key insights from the impressive display:

Divin Mubama (left) scored a brace to take his tally with England Under-21’s to five in five

MUBAMA ON A ROLL

Divin Mubama returned to the locker room with mixed emotions after scoring twice, feeling he could have netted even more.

These high standards reflect the expectations of Manchester City’s Mubama, who is currently on loan at Stoke City, aiming to propel them into the Premier League, and underscore why he is highly valued by Carsley.

It was telling in the summer that Carsley masterminded another European Championship without an orthodox No 9 to call upon.

They are seemingly rarer and rarer in the English pathway and so Mubama represents something of a throwback; a ruthless finisher that is getting better with every start he gets for club and country.

‘He’s outstanding finishing in training especially, the way he practices is very deliberate with what he wants to do and I think we’ve got to make sure we keep creating opportunities for him,’ Carsley said.

‘Obviously he missed a penalty the other night [versus Republic of Ireland] but showed the character to step up and score again and he’s done well again tonight.’

His brace in Slovakia makes it five goals in five qualification games and while it is wildly premature to look to the seniors, the pathway to becoming England’s eventual No 9 is not one littered with obstacles.

Mubama is flourishing at Under-21s level – a standard he looks too good for in all honesty – and could yet finish the season as a promotion hero.

‘In football you can never get too high, you can never get too low,’ he said.

‘It always changes. It’s just about having a steady mind. I’m still young, learning my craft and I don’t think there’s any rush for me to get where I want and know I can be.

‘It’s just step by step, day by day and seeing where everything can materialise.’

If you’re investing stocks in a young English player that is perhaps still flying below the general populous radar, Mubama is the one.

Mubama is something a throwback with so few traditional No 9s in the England pathway

ACHEAMPONG POTENTIAL EXCITES CARSLEY

It was said that Josh Acheampong left a lasting impression on Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on his first day in charge.

Maresca remains a fan, giving him a handful of starts in the Premier League this season, but what is already telling with England is that Acheampong is going to be the bedrock of the side that Carsley takes to defend their Euros crown in 2027.

‘Josh is a player that we rate highly,’ Carsley said in response to Daily Mail Sport’s question.

‘He’s a player that’s highly rated at Chelsea. He’s got a lot of potential and he just needs to keep playing, keep getting the experiences he’s getting with club and country.’

Acheampong isn’t doing it alone but he has stood out through the first half of this qualification campaign.

The 19-year-old has started four of the five matches, in which England have not conceded a single goal.

Max Alleyne has done well alongside him, while Lewis Hall and Rico Lewis have shown multiple moments of real quality during that time.

But Acheampong, at just 19, is mature beyond his years and should now see him as a bonafide first team player and regular international.

His ability to play out from the back, as well as his recovery pace to cover up for mistakes either made by himself or team-mates, give him all the fundamentals to become a very high level centre back for club and country.

England coughed up just two shots on target in an icy cold match in Slovakia and Acheampong’s composure was one of the lasting memories on a really impressive night.

At 19, the sky really does feel like the limit for Chelsea’s rising star.

Josh Acheampong (left) and Ethan Nwaneri (right) are key pieces of this Lee Carsley puzzle

NWANERI AT CROSSROADS

When Ethan Nwaneri chipped the goalkeeper here to double England’s lead at 2-0, it further underlined why January is a truly pivotal month in the teenager’s career.

Having signed a long-term deal with Arsenal, nobody is suggesting either side are desperate to renege on that. Far from it.

But Arsenal are acutely aware that Nwaneri needs to play senior football to continue to reach his undoubted star potential.

He is yet to start a Premier League game this season and has had less than a half of football in the league since mid-September.

Away with England, Nwaneri is a centrepiece of this new-look side and is made to feel an important player – which he is. It is precisely why a loan move is best for all parties in January.

‘Ethan has done a campaign, he’s done a Euros, and this is a brilliant team for Ethan to play in and be an important part of,’ Carsley explained.

‘I’m just glad he got his goal tonight because I know how desperate he is to do well and to keep building on what’s already a really promising career.’

Nwaneri is at a crossroads: stick around and play a bit-part role for the Premier League title favourites, or go out and try to make a case for a bigger role at the Emirates Stadium next season.

Playing in his preferred No 10 role in this England Under-21 side, Nwaneri continues to show off his incredibly high level technique and positional awareness.

‘These young players you always want to put them in different experiences and put them under that pressure to perform and obviously win,’ Carsley added.

‘They should take a lot of credit tonight for how they conducted themselves. A lot of them won’t have gone away from home against the group leaders that are unbeaten and win so convincingly.’

Nwaneri starred, as he so often does, and now it’s about taking his talents on the road week in, week out. He’s at a crossroads and whatever decision is taken in January is one Carsley, Ashley Cole and the Under-21 coaching staff will be following with intrigue.