GARETH SOUTHGATE is delighted to have changed the perception of how an England team plays during his five years in charge of the national team.

England host Hungary at Wembley tomorrow night hoping to extend an unbeaten run in World Cup qualifiers that stretches to 28 matches, and knowing a win will all-but-guarantee their participation in next year’s finals in Qatar.

Since replacing Sam Allardyce in 2016, Southgate has introduced a possession-based passing style that has brought England much closer to the likes of Spain, France, Belgium and Italy in terms of both performance levels and results.

The former Middlesbrough manager has led his side to a World Cup semi-final and the final of the European Championships, and transformed the way in which the England team is perceived, both at home and overseas.

“When I joined the FA, I knew there was a different sort of player coming through our academies,” said Southgate. “We wanted to change the perception of England players and English coaches.

“We’ve always had outstanding players. We’ve had Champions League winners and we’ve had the Gerrards, Beckhams, Scholes’, Rooneys. We can’t say we’ve never had good players, but some of the ability of modern players to play in a different way – not just in our country, but right across Europe – is fascinating to see.

“With the tight possession games that are so common in training from a young age, you now see such a high level of technical quality across Europe, and our young players are no exception to that. They can really handle the ball in tight areas. We saw it the other night again (in Andorra), in a type of game that has been sticky in the past for us to break down a packed defence.

“I’d say that, across Europe, we’ve gained a lot of respect. When I travel across Europe and talk to European coaches, there’s probably in a way a greater appreciation of what we’ve done and the way we’ve played than there has been here. That’s always reassuring because you want the respect of your peers, and I think they’ve recognised where we’ve been over the last 30 years or so, and the signs that we’re starting to show and the ability of the players to play in a certain style.”

That high-pressing, possession-based style should be in evidence again tomorrow, with England hoping to complete a swift double over Hungary after winning 4-0 in Budapest’s Puskas Arena at the start of last month.

They put five past Andorra on Friday, but having named something of a shadow side at the Estadi Nacional, Southgate is set to make a host of changes for tonight’s game.

The likes of Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane are set to return to the side, alongside Jack Grealish, who came off the bench to claim his first international goal on Friday.

Grealish is yet to establish himself as a nailed-on starter in Southgate’s preferred XI, but the England boss has been impressed with the midfielder’s attitude and performances since his £100m summer move to Manchester City.

“He’s gained the confidence of being with this group and having a big club pay a lot of money for him," he said. "I wouldn’t say he’s necessarily a far better player than he was because he was a very good player with Aston Villa, and that’s why we picked him. But I think he’s establishing himself and is playing now in the (biggest) matches. Last week, he had three really big games, and they’re the games where you really find out about players."