Mourinho Didn’t Influence My Decision On Rashford -Gareth Southgate

England manager Gareth Southgate has said that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho didn’t influence his decision to pull Marcus Rashford from the U21 European Championship squad.

Having enjoyed more starts and first-team minutes in the second half of the campaign, including leading the line in the Europa League final win over Ajax, the 19-year-old's form persuaded Southgate he is a full-time senior.

He said “The key for us is not the relationship with Jose, it's the relationship with Marcus, I didn't speak to Mourinho about it. I let him know where I was heading with it at the end. I am not in a position where I can make decisions to keep people happy. If I am trying to keep Jose happy that's going to be, let's say, fairly difficult. So I have got to make decisions that are right for England seniors long-term. I'm always mindful of what is right for the players. Respectfully, none of the managers are going to be around in 10 years - or it's very unlikely - and I think people like Marcus Rashford will be. We want a good working relationship with the clubs, of course we do, but they have got their own objectives and have got to make decisions that are right for them, and I have got to make decisions that are right for England. So there's always going to be some collision at some point on that and some disagreement on that.”