Jack Grealish has revealed he prepares for games by watching videos of Kevin De Bruyne.
The Aston Villa star has enjoyed a promising international break, putting in two good performances against Ireland and De Bruyne's Belgium.
Manchester City midfielder De Bruyne played the full 90 minutes to help Belgium to a 2-0 victory over England in a result that secured their passage to the Nations League finals.
It was Grealish's first competitive start for England and he was one of the few shining lights in a disappointing night for Gareth Southgate's side.
Speaking post-match, Grealish opened up on his inspiration for his creative performance and revealed he watches the likes of De Bruyne and Philippe Coutinho for inspiration.
"For the past 24 hours, I’ve been watching little clips of my favourite players like I do before every game," he told Sky Sports.
"I’ve just been buzzing for it, there have been no nerves whatsoever, I’ve just been so excited. I’m gutted we couldn’t get the win.
"I watch loads of clips. I watch clips of De Bruyne, I watch clips of Coutinho, just players that are in my position, really.
"That’s what I’ve done since I was a little kid and I still do it to this day - I have no shame in saying that and that’s what gets me going for football matches."
Grealish's performance earned praise from Southgate, who said the playmaker stepped up after the likes of Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford were absent through injury.
"Today was a great game for us to see him in. I couldn't speak highly enough of his performance," Southgate said to BBC Sport.
"I thought Jack Grealish had an absolutely outstanding game. Losing Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford, we lose a lot of speed. But I can't fault the attacking play until the last chance.
"I saw what I knew I would see from Jack, someone with the bravery to play. He took the ball in tight areas, his technique was good, we knew he would buy a lot of free-kicks. I thought he was outstanding - he should be delighted. I explained to him what we wanted to see when we brought him in in September."
