Aidy Boothroyd hopes Jack Stephens' winning goal for England Under-21s leads to the defender earning regular first-team football.
Almost a year to the day he was sent off on his competitive debut against Bosnia & Herzegovina, Stephens' close-range finish in the third minute of second-half stoppage time earned England a 3-2 victory over Italy.
After being overlooked for much of a five-month loan spell with Middlesbrough in 2015-16, Southampton's Stephens then played regularly for Coventry before returning to his parent club where this season he has played only once, in the EFL Cup.
An uncertain central defensive partnership with Calum Chambers also contributed to Italy building a 2-1 lead before Lewis Baker and then Stephens, 22, added to Demarai Gray's opening goal.