Lions find teeth! Golden boys Jordan and Jones take focus off absent Wilshere & co

They stood side by side at the end of the assembled line, laughing and joking as they waited for a gaggle of cameramen to grab their pictures.

To the 800 local schoolchildren who had gathered at Fredericia Football Club to see England's Under 21s put through their paces, Phil Jones and Jordan Henderson appeared to be just another two faces in the crowd. Appearances, though, are deceptive.

Jones and Henderson added a £36.5million sprinkling of gold dust to this gathering. After respective moves to Manchester United and Liverpool, their presence here in Denmark has also pulled England's bid for European glory into sharp focus.

Lucky stars: Liverpool recruit Jordan Henderson, and Manchester United's new boy Phil Jones (left) in Fredericia

It had seemed that the absence of Jack Wilshere and Andy Carroll from Stuart Pearce's squad would take some of the lustre away from this tournament but events in the past seven days have ensured it will now receive huge exposure.

As if it were not appealing enough to see a Spain side containing World Cup winners Juan Mata and Javi Martinez in the opening Group B fixture in Herning on Sunday night, there will be plenty watching to see how England's next generation are developing.

Certainly, there will be an expectation that England will progress from a pool that also contains the Czech Republic and Ukraine - and several Barclays Premier League clubs will be keen to see how potential targets such as Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell and Ipswich striker Connor Wickham fare.

Centre of attention: Henderson (left) and Jones are now on Under 21 duty after completing their moves

One thing is inevitable about an Under 21 European Championship: this is a tournament where promising talents blossom. Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil did so in 2009, while Nani, Francesco Totti and Andrea Pirlo have all declared their intent on this stage.

It is also a good breeding ground for young Lions. Of the side who reached the final against Germany two years ago, three - Adam Johnson, Theo Walcott and James Milner - are regulars in Fabio Capello's senior squads, while Joe Hart, who was banned that night in Malmo, is the England  manager's No 1 keeper.

On the ball: Henderson shows off the skills that persuaded Liverpool to pay £20m for him

Pearce said: 'What we always do is look at the players we've got at Under 21 level and say, "Look what's gone before you". We tell them to look at the likes of Adam Johnson and the Milners and the Harts of this world.

'Hopefully this will be the next group to progress, not just to get big-money moves for what they've done for various clubs, but to step on to the Under 21 stage and do well. They might be the next intake for the seniors.

Sign me up: Henderson pens his autograph for waiting youngsters

'We lauded the Germans when they won two years ago then went to the World Cup. They had six or seven from the Under 21s in their squad, we had maybe three or four in ours. A couple of months later, we had six or seven Under 21s in our senior squad. So that's the progression.'

Should England battle their way out of Group B, they will have a serious chance of reaching the final again, but progress is not something that should be taken for granted.

Still got it: Stuart Pearce takes the plaudits in the Danish town of Fredericia

Ukraine and the Czech Republic will be difficult opponents and Pearce is clearly still feeling sour over losing the battle for Arsenal midfielder Wilshere, especially as injury has robbed him of several others who would have made his starting line-up. 

'I've got a breakdown of all the nations here and the number of their players who have represented the seniors,' said Pearce. 'We have got the biggest absence of players who have been with the seniors.

'I've got a lot of good talent in the squad still. If you say to me, "Who isn't here?" I'd say Wilshere, Micah Richards, Walcott, Martin Kelly, for varying reasons. There's some real, real talent that won't be here but we feel as though we have enough here to win the tournament. But time will tell.'

This was typical Pearce, straight talking and making his point. He saved his most significant one for last when he was asked for an opinion on how English football, for all its money and razzmatazz, is perceived around the world.

'I still think we've got a lot of miles to cover,' he said. 'I think the beautiful game of many, many years ago is long gone.

'We've got to start building and the only way you start building is from today.

'I think we've got a lot of lessons to learn. Look at the trophy cabinet, it never lies. Look at ours and look at Spain's trophy cabinet. What is one lesson that can be learned? You need to turn up at tournaments with your best players, for a start.'