England boss Gareth Southgate has played down the suggestion that Jadon Sancho needs to leave Borussia Dortmund to be successful, despite links to Premier League clubs.
Liverpool have been linked with an interest in the 20-year-old along with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.
While Dortmund have said they expect Sancho to remain with them for next season, speculation over his future continues to grow with every impressive Bundesliga performance.
Yet Southgate is at ease with the situation, arguing that regular football can only serve to benefit Sancho's development.
Speaking with the Telegraph, the England boss did admit, however, that he would be intrigued to see how the former Manchester City youngster performed in a Premier League environment.
"I think the key is he has got to play football," Southgate said.
"The beauty of him playing at Dortmund is that he has played regularly.
"He's playing in a team that is expected to hit a certain level in front of 80,000 fans every week before this period.
"The pressure of that Champions League football is another bonus and the need to be challenging Bayern Munich all the way.
"The Premier League would provide a different challenge to that. I think the depth of the league [in England] is a bit more intense in terms of the quality.
"From a personal point of view, for England whichever route opens up I think is positive because he will play at Dortmund.
"He will play at a good club. He's well looked after by the staff there. They give the right messages.
"So there isn't a downside for us if he stays with Dortmund at all, and if we see him in the Premier League then that brings different opportunities in a different environment and to see how he adapts to that.
"But the most important thing is that he keeps playing regularly and at his age that is key to him learning and improving."
