MATT Derbyshire believes the future is bright for England's Under 21s under head coach Stuart Pearce.

All the media's focus may be on the senior squad's make-or-break qualifier with Israel this weekend, but England's young lions also kick-off their qualifying campaign for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championships with two tough away matches in Montenegro this evening and then Bulgaria next Tuesday.

And Derbyshire is confident Pearce has the leadership skills to steer the Three Lions all the way to next summer's finals after being impressed by the job the former Manchester City boss has done so far.

"Stuart Pearce is a very good manager. He's a very passionate guy and nice to work with," said the Rovers striker.

"There's a lot of good lads in the squad and they are going to be sticking around for a while, which is great."

Derbyshire was England's hero when they drew with Romania on their last outing last month, the Rovers striker scoring in a 1-1 draw on what was his first start for his country at Under 21 level.

Now he's hoping to get the nod again for these back-to-back qualifiers, which could go a long way to shaping England's campaign.

"It was my first start for the Under 21s against Romania and I was wearing the number nine shirt, which was a great achievement for me," said Derbyshire.

"I got another goal to add to my tally and hopefully there is more to come.

"I'm working hard on my game all the time and I'm always looking to get better.

"I know I've still got a lot to learn but the hard work is paying off."