England vs Nigeria: Stunning new home kit, Jesse Lingard or Dele Alli and preparations for World Cup 2018

England put on a positive showing in the first outing of their World Cup 2018 journey, despatching Nigeria with relative comfort at Wembley on Saturday evening.

Gary Cahill’s opener was followed up by captain Harry Kane’s strike although Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi did pull one back to bring a bit of worry to Gareth Southgate's defence.

Here are five things we learned looking ahead to the Three Lions’ first game against Tunisia on 18^th June…

Nigeria’s kit worth the sell-out

Thousands and thousands turned up in hope, in expectation ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, hoping to see a glimpse of what could take the tournament by storm this summer. And they were not disappointed. Nigeria wore their home shirt. Simply stunning. And that was not all.

(REUTERS) (Reuters)

We were treated to the full range: the training shirt, the tunnel jacket, the bespoke Nigeria boots. Whatever happened in the ensuing 90 minutes was merely a bonus as the flashes of green, white and black zig-zags decorated the pitch and much of the stands. It is sold out now of course, but expect another queue around the corner of Oxford Street when another shipment arrives.

Squad numbers

You can normally read so much into squad numbers. Those in the first XI are normally expected to start, especially those wearing No 1, 2 and 3 – there is normally a bit more flexibility with other numbers. But Southgate was giving nothing away on Saturday.

Everyone who started was wearing 1-11 before the squad is announced on Monday, but lookout for the number of the likes of Kyle Walker (No 4 would indicate he plays centre-back), Gary Cahill and Ashley Young (both of whom will be first choice if numbered 1-11). As you can tell, numbers are just as exciting as new kits to a World Cup nerd.

Lingard or Alli?

With Jordan Henderson still recovering from the Champions League final, both Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard were afforded a start, with Eric Dier given the sole holding role around a very attacking England side. Don’t expect that to be a regularity in Southgate’s sides however. He may tinker against Panama, but Belgium would overrun a single man in the middle.

(PA (PA)

Therefore, it’s a battle between Lingard and Alli for the final attacking berth, and on this showing, and Southgate’s favouritism to certain players, it looks like the Manchester United man would get the nod. His pace and willingness to track back – one of the reasons why Jose Mourinho has taken such a liking to him this season – will be important when things aren’t going England’s way in Russia.

Pickford Southgate’s No 1

“He’s number 1 today but when you’re in control of the shirt, that’s a good thing”. That’s what Southgate said when asked just before half-time about whether Pickford’s selection meant he had won the battle to wear the No 1 shirt in Russia.

(REUTERS (REUTERS)

It was a straight shootout between Pickford and Butland but Southgate has his favourites from his time with the under-21s and Pickford is one of them. Those loyalty points he earned with the manager seem to have bought him the jersey for Russia this summer. He will be England’s youngest-ever tournament goalkeeper.

Only one spot up for grabs?

Southgate kept his starting XI on the pitch for 67 minutes, suggesting that this is near enough to his team to face Tunisia in Volgograd in just over two weeks’ time. With Lingard likely to beat Alli and Jordan Henderson to come in, and Ashley Young looking like he’s nailed down the left wing-back spot on account of his set-piece abilities, there is only one more to confirm.

That spot seems to be the right wing-back role which has been filled ably by Kieran Trippier, but Southgate may be tempted to punt for Trent Alexander-Arnold after his heroics for Liverpool this season. He will surely get a run out against Costa Rica on Thursday to prove his worth.