Southgate’s Fergie time!

Euro qualifying Group A: Montenegro GIGGS CARE IS BLUEPRINT FOR GARETH

GARETH SOUTHGATE has promised to throw a protective arm around his England teenage sensations – to ensure they fulfil their massive potential.

After Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi, both 18, lit up Wembley on Friday in the 5-0 drubbing of Czech Republic, expectations on the pair are set to soar.

Southgate, having unleashed Borussia Dortmund ace Sancho and Chelsea winger Hudson-Odoi on the world stage, now feels it is his duty to make their seemingly inevitable rise to the summit as smooth as possible.

Liking the situation to when Ryan Giggs exploded on the scene at Manchester United in 1990, the Three Lions chief will adopt a similar strategy to that used by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Back then the Old Trafford boss refused to allow anyone near his Welsh wonder, who at 16 was being hailed “the new George Best”.

The approach paid handsome dividends – with Giggs blossoming into a United legend courtesy of 24 glory-filled years.

Southgate, whose red-hot troops travel to Montenegro tomorrow night for their second Euro 2020 Group A qualifier, said: “It is very much our responsibility to do this.

“It comes into everything – how much we expose them to the public, how much we put them into commercial situations. We’ve got to be thinking about all of that all of the time because it’s very easy for them to enjoy these moments – and they’ve got to enjoy them – but equally there’s a balance.

“I always think of Sir Alex with Giggs and how he did that so well. They had sustained success because of that.

“So although they are not our players on a day-to-day basis, we have a responsibility to do as much as we can.

“Because we are putting them on to another level we have to make sure we get the balance right – for their club but most importantly for the player.”

As a national coach Southgate knows he can’t exert the same control on his Three Lions as Fergie did on the Class of ’92.

However, the moment he senses the situation surrounding his starlets is getting out of hand he will intervene. He added: “We can’t have the same influence because Fergie could get them in the office on a Monday and sort them out.

“But we can still make sure we are playing them at the right times and recognising when to pull them out.

“It’s less about on the pitch, more about what we expose them to off it. It’s about the environment and the messages we give them.

“It’s easy to give young people lots of sugar. They know we are full of belief in them and we want them to feel that.

“But equally they’re still learning as professionals, still maturing as men, and they are going to make mistakes. None of them are perfect.

“Yet they are surrounded by some good role models in the squad and our experience of developing young players should also help.”

Despite being only 24 himself, Raheem Sterling – who blitzed a superb hat-trick against Czech Republic on Friday – is a perfect mentor according to Southgate.

He said: “To have a top striker like Harry Kane, who has such humility and such a low ego, makes a huge impression on the whole group.

“But that’s the same for Raheem. You can see his focus on those things too.

“For young players coming through it’s an easy equation:

If I do the things those two do, there’s a good chance I will get the performances that they are putting in.”