England manager Roy Hodgson has insisted that his side have a bright future despite their defeat to Sweden on Wednesday.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored all four of the hosts' goals as they came from behind to beat the Three Lions 4-2 in Stockholm.
Hodgson handed debuts to Leon Osman, Steven Caulker and Raheem Sterling, and he believes that the country boasts promising fortunes in the long run.
"I'm pretty sure that with the players that we have at home and the players that we will have coming back in to the reckoning we're looking forward to a bright 2013 because we're going to have a strong squad," said Hodgson.
"You must remember this was Sweden's strongest team. This was the team that drew 4-4 with Germany and I thought for long periods today we didn't just match them, I thought we had the better of the game for very long periods. It was a masterclass of effectiveness because they scored with their first real chance and then towards the end took three chances from three occasions.
"I've got to look at the broader picture. I've got to look at what we did during the 90 minutes. I've got to look at how many debutants got their opportunity today and I've got to be optimistic really because I saw some very good performances out there which have given me great heart for the future."
England host Brazil at Wembley in their next match in February.
Matt Cotton
