England U21 coach Gareth Southgate says Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford can bounce back from his senior snub.

New Three Lions boss Sam Allardyce has told Manchester United's starlet he will not be in the squad for next week's World Cup qualifier in Slovakia — his first game in charge.

That has freed up Southgate to pick him for the U21s' Euro 2017 qualifier against Norway at Colchester on September 6.

He said: “Marcus is a young player and still developing so this is a big part of his international education.

“We've had it in the past with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, John Stones and Calum Chambers joining us after being with the seniors. Marcus has a good mentality, he'll respond the right way."

Southgate added: “Last season, his pathway was remarkable and we're very conscious of plotting how we develop our young players.

“Sam is keen people are playing regularly, so it's a good opportunity in his international development for him to be with the Under-21s."