Mourinho issues Rashford with England Under-21 warning

LONDON: Jose Mourinho does not want Marcus Rashford to be selected for next year’s European Under21 Championships if the Manchester United striker is a regular in the senior England squad.

The United manager was responding to stories that England’s governing Football Association were keen to include English Premier League stars, such as Rashford, in their Under-21 squad for the tournament in Poland in June.

Mourinho has no problem with Rashford, who turns 19 on the last day of this month, being a part of that squad – but only if he has not established himself in the senior set-up.

“We are in mid-October, the Championships will be in the summer,” United manager Mourinho said Wednesday.

“I think we have to wait and see what happens until then. Because if the player becomes a regular in the ‘A’ national team, if you want to call it that, then to say it is important for his development (to be) with the Under-21s, makes no sense.”

Gareth Southgate has been promoted from his post as England Under-21 boss to be the manager of the senior England team on an interim basis, with the FA still to announce if the former England defender will succeed Sam Allardyce on a permanent basis after the veteran coach was forced out after just one game following indiscreet comments made to undercover reporters.

“If he’s an Under-21 player in the national team, then he is an Under21 player and there is no discussion about that,” said Mourinho of Rashford.

“But if he becomes a regular choice for Gareth Southgate in the first team, then we have to speak because we don’t want him going.”

Rashford has five England caps to his name, four of them as a substitute in competitive internationals.