England manager Gareth Southgate believes he is protecting Marcus Rashford by including him in the Three Lions senior squad.

However, the 19-year old was left out of the U21 squad that will travel to Poland for the European Championships a few days after England's fixtures against Scotland and France.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho had stated publicly that Rashford should not take part in both squads, and it seems the Portuguese has won the club vs. country argument.

Southgate, who during his time as U21 manager insisted players should take part in tournament's to gain experience, has back flipped by claiming he is 'protecting' Rashford by leaving him out of the trip to Poland.

"The question then is: Could he have gone with the Under-21s after that (England fixtures)? In my opinion, no. He's a 19-year-old player who's had an exceptional season and by then will have had virtually 60 matches by that point," said Southgate.

"Somebody has to protect him. Somebody has to manage the development of a young player, and that has to be my call."