England U21 coach Gareth Southgate says his selection of West Ham United midfielder Ravel Morrison did not come out of the blue.
Southgate says the FA have been in touch with Morrison since his days with Manchester United.
Southgate told theFA.com: "Ravel's a charming lad, and anybody who meets him would tell you that.
"How do young people learn? Unfortunately, we usually learn by making mistakes and it's what you do therein that's important.
"With Ravel, we always maintained a dialogue with Manchester United and now West Ham about where he was as a player and if it's a good moment to pick him. There are lots of good people at West Ham that have got him in a good place."
