Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff said England's progress and success at youth level has the world champions worried.
England have not won the World Cup since 1966 but the future of English football seems bright after victories at the Under-17 and U20 world championships this year.
And it is of concern for Germany, according to former international Bierhoff ahead of Friday's international friendly at Wembley.
"Thinking about the England [senior] team from the outside, you are starting to create an air of 'this is a new team' with young players and a lot of characters and by retiring older players who did a lot," Bierhoff said.
"There's a change and I can see you have confidence from the U20s and U17s. That shows English football also has developed ... It takes some time and you see small steps of success in the youth teams. We often see that we have successful youth team players who become important in the future.
"Yes, we are worried [about England] because the quality of the players will become better.
"I am sure that with St George’s Park, with the investment, coaches and education, that you are catching up. It takes some time. We started in 2000 and the first result was in 2010 with new young talented players."
