Fabian Delph hopes World Cup is just the beginning

Delph has called his World Cup journey the highlight of his career, and he hopes that this summer is the start of something special.

The 28-year-old flourished for Manchester City playing as a makeshift left back, and has been one of the leaders within the England squad.

The squad are now preparing for their third-place playoff against Belgium.

The disappointment was tangible to not be facing France, but the team are looking to end the tournament on a high.

Delph has praised the England performance, and has enjoyed his own season immensely. 

"For me personally it's been a fantastic season," Delph told the 'Daily Mail.'

"I managed to play quite a lot of football and in a position that I've never played before, so it was a learning season. A very enjoyable one."

"In terms of my development, I feel still like I have a lot of development to do, a lot of areas that I can work at."

"It's very important to be playing regular football because if not you lose your distances, your timing - you start to basically get older and fade away, so this season has been a great season for me personally."

"And to get into the World Cup squad's been the highlight of my career."

"I've thoroughly enjoyed it and I think when I get time to go home and sit down and talk to the family, there'll be a lot of memories that I'll keep close to my heart."

"Hopefully I can continue to keep playing in the Manchester City team and keep getting in the England squads."

Delph will be part of the England team that take on Belgium in Saint Petersburg on Saturday.

If England are able to beat the Red Devils, they will become the second most successful team in national team history.

Delph thinks that the camaraderie in the England camp, matches the feeling at club level.

"I think I've mentioned a few times that the feeling I have at Manchester City, the energy, the trust that we have got within our camp, is quite identical to what I've felt since I've been in this camp," Delph added.

"The energy is fantastic. There's a lot of young players, as there is at Manchester City."

"Everybody seems to be fearless, going in the same direction, and it's quite similar."

"It felt like I was leaving club football to join up with club football again, if you like."

"I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's always an honour to play for your country and to do it with a bunch of lads that are such good lads and to go as far as we've gone."

"We've not quite done it but it's been a fantastic experience for me personally and I think it'll stand us in good stead for the future."