Jordan Henderson's role both on and off the pitch have been highlighted by England manager Gareth Southgate.
Often singled out for criticism at international level, the Liverpool midfielder led his team to a deserved victory in Amsterdam on Friday evening and drew praise from Southgate for his handling of the captaincy role.
"We know about all the leaders in the group and Jordan is one of the few guys who is a captain at club level.
"He's comfortable in that role. He's comfortable in speaking up for the group."
It was a largely positive evening for Southgate in the Amsterdam ArenA as his side controlled large parts of the game, albeit against a Dutch side clearly a shadow of their former selves.
Jesse Lingard moved a step closer to securing his place in the squad for Russia 2018 with the winning goal and Jordan Pickford temporarily moves ahead in the race for the goalkeeper's jersey after an untroubled evening.
Southgate will ponder changes for Tuesday evening's Wembley date with Italy but his decision to stick with a back three looks here to stay and he was pleased but not surprised with how Kyle Walker dealt with being one of the central defenders rather than his usual full-back role.
For Jack Wilshere, however, the World Cup dream looks to be at an end as he will not rejoin the squad for the Italy game and will return to Arsenal for treatment on a knee injury.