Daniels Balodis looked at home when he came up against England’s attacking superstars, according to St Johnstone boss, Simo Valakari.
And the centre-back’s Wembley experience will bring benefits for the Perth club in their Premiership survival battle.
Balodis started both Latvia’s March World Cup qualifiers, the second of them a 3-0 defeat to England on Monday night.
Having previously played against Robert Lewandowski, the 26-year-old will also be able to tell his grandchildren he shared a pitch with Harry Kane.
The form curve of Balodis had been moving steadily upwards with Saints since his January arrival in Scotland.
Valakari believes that will continue to be the case now that his confidence will be boosted by his display on Monday night.
“Daniels has played against some of the best players in the world, at an iconic stadium, with 80,000 people in it,” said the head coach.
“And he didn’t look out of place.
“I never played at Wembley – I faced England with Finland at Anfield because it was being reconstructed.
“So, I can only imagine what the excitement was like for Daniels.
“I’m sure there would have been big nerves in the warm-up, walking out of the tunnel and then listening to the national anthems.
“But from the moment the game started, Daniels played as he has been playing here with us.
“He defended the box really well and was in the right positions. Of course, Latvia didn’t have a lot of the ball but the passes he made were good ones.
“What an experience.
“He will take from it: ‘I can play at this next level’. That’s how it looked to me watching the game.
“The improvement he has been showing with us continued.
“I was very happy that Latvia played on Monday and that he had a short trip from London.
“The games will help him, and he should be fine fitness-wise.
“Some of the boys have been carrying niggles but he wasn’t one of them, so it was better that he played another couple of games.”
The run-in begins against Hibs
Now that the international breaks are over and, the run-in to the end of the season is upon Saints.
“Results will show if the break came at a good time for us,” said Valakari.
“We were in good form, but some players were carrying aches and pains.
“We’ve tried to give rest to players who have needed it and have organised two bounce games for those who haven’t.
“International breaks are part of football – no club coach is a big fan of them because they break your rhythm and there can be a lot of travelling for the players who are away.
“You’re always a bit worried how they will come back to you.
“If they’re not playing, the training won’t be the same as it would be with us.
“When they come back there’s only a day and a half and then you play.
“But it’s the same for everyone.
“All the boys who have been away with their countries should be with us for training on Thursday.”
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