Roy Hodgson has suggested that it could take as long as six years before his young England squad begin to reach their potential.
The Three Lions boss picked a largely youthful-looking squad for the World Cup, and the average age of 26 is the lowest since the 1958 tournament in Sweden.
However, after two straight defeats and an early exit from the competition, the boss admitted that his methods will take some time to come to fruition.
He told reporters: "We just hope the next two, four to six years will bring some dividends.
"We are no longer capable of going through, but we're trying to build the confidence and use the potential of some quite talented players who have emerged on the scene.
"All we can do is hope that, when these players are reaching their best years at the age of 28 or 29, the work shows some dividends."
England conclude their World Cup campaign against Costa Rica on Tuesday.
Paul Gorst
