Liam Moore's England under-21 debut was a fitting reward for his superb performances for Leicester City, manager Nigel Pearson has said.
Moore was handed his first cap by England under-21 boss Stuart Pearce in their friendly victory over Northern Ireland at Blackpool on Tuesday night to cap an amazing year for the 19-year-old.
Until Pearson's return to the club from Hull a year ago, Moore had not featured for the City first team, but it was Pearson who handed him his full debut, on January 2, at Crystal Palace and he has made 12 appearances so far this season.
"He has come a long way from playing at Crystal Palace last season," said Pearson.
"He has had a very good close season and pre-season. His hard work has been rewarded with a call-up for the under-21s. I am very pleased for him. He is a proud man and he will be wanting to get back to business with us now.
"It is important for us that our young players who progress with us are also able to deal with the overall package.
"I think Liam does it exceptionally well. He is not one to get carried away with his rise in the space of six months.
"He has had a big change in fortunes. A large part of that is down to the hard work he has put in himself and I am very pleased for him."
Pearson said Moore's development and progress should give the other young players at the club the inspiration to believe they can emulate the defender, who came through the academy system.
The City boss said he never considers a player's age and the only thing that matters is how good they are.
"For me, it is a case of are they good enough," he said.
"Regardless of whether they are young or old, they have got to have a hunger to want to play and succeed.
"If you look at our recruitment policy, we have brought in a number of younger players, but they have to be good enough.
"Liam was already here and his progression within the ranks has been very good.
"That gives encouragement to the other younger players who will see the opportunity if they work hard enough."
