Tammy Abraham wants England to be pass masters

Tammy Abraham has stressed the importance of possession as England Under-21s prepare for their second game of the Toulon Tournament.

Aidy Boothroyd’s side toiled in their opening match against China, particularly in the first half as China led at the break. However, England finally got to grips with the hot conditions and second-half goals from Dael Fry and Abraham, who struck in the 89th minute, sealed a 2-1 win.

England play Mexico in Salon on Tuesday and Abraham expects an improved performance from the holders.

“It was tough against China they were a good team and when we conceded a goal we had to stay focused,” said the Chelsea striker.

“We knew if we kept moving the ball around we would get chances. It’s hot here and you seem to lose breath quite easily so it’s important to keep hold of the ball so we don’t get tired and keep moving it fast to try to tire the other team.

“In the first game I think you can allow for certain mistakes but now we know what the tournament expects of us and we know we are one of the best teams here so we need to keep improving, keep winning, keep fighting and keep moving the ball.

“A lot of us have had a lot of games and it showed that we have come off a long season. We knew it was going to be hard but we will get a good rest and we will go into the next game ready.”