FORMER Rhyl defender Steve Cooper has praised his side after masterminding England U17s’ sensational World Cup final victory over Spain.

The popular figure, who also represented Bangor City and The New Saints of Oswestry Town during his playing days, led his side to a 5-2 win over Spain to round off a sensational tournament for the young lions.

Speaking following the victory, Cooper said: “I’m so proud of the performance. Two-nil down, we played our way, we didn’t stop, we stuck to our game plan, we stuck to our style.

“We’re building for the future and that’s the way to do it. We are worthy winners of the tournament, the football we’ve played and the amount of goals we’ve scored.

“We have individual talent, team identity, character and personality.”

A brace from Manchester City starlet Phil Foden was the highlight of their success, with Rhian Brewster, Morgan Gibbs-White and Marc Guehi also finding the target to complete the fightback and give England a memorable triumph.

Before taking over the role, Cooper was head of youth development at Wrexham, and also spent two-years at the high-profile Liverpool Academy

He took on the role of England U17 boss in 2015 and narrowly missed on winning the European Under-17 Championships after a penalty shootout defeat to Spain.

To reach the final, England produced a sensational effort to beat Brazil 3-1 in the semi-final stage, with the highly touted Liverpool youth product Brewster firing a hat-trick.