Marcus Rashford has lost his England place after being moved out of the Manchester United team since José Mourinho took control at Old Trafford and brought in Zlatan Ibrahimovic to play in attack.
Rashford has dropped into England’s Under-21 side after Sam Allardyce decided he could not justify a place for the 18-year-old when the new era under his managership begins with a World Cup qualifier in Slovakia on Sunday week.
Rashford’s emergence at Old Trafford last season, scoring eight times in 18 games, led to Roy Hodgson calling him up for Euro 2016 and the teenager breaking Wayne Rooney’s record as England’s youngest player at a European Championship.
Since then the sacking of Louis van Gaal, Mourinho’s appointment and the arrival of Ibrahimovic have meant Rashford being restricted to a 70th-minute substitute’s appearance against Leicester City in the Community Shield and not getting off the bench for United’s wins against Bournemouth and Southampton.
Allardyce has spoken to Gareth Southgate, the manager of England’s Under-21s, and the pair have decided Rashford should not be involved in the senior setup when the striker has yet to play a minute in the Premier League this season.
Southgate’s team play Norway in a European Under-21 Championship qualifier in Colchester on 6 September and Rashford has been named in the squad, with the likelihood he will play his first game at that age level. Arsenal’s Rob Holding and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish have also been selected.
England Under-21 squad v Norway
Goalkeepers Angus Gunn (Manchester City), Jordan Pickford (Sunderland), Joe Wildsmith (Sheffield Wednesday)
Defenders Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Ben Chilwell (Leicester), Brendan Galloway (West Brom, loan from Everton), Kortney Hause (Wolves), Rob Holding (Arsenal), Mason Holgate (Everton), Dominic Iorfa (Wolves), Matt Targett (Southampton)
Midfielders Lewis Baker (Vitesse Arnhem, loan from Chelsea), Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea), Isaac Hayden (Newcastle), Will Hughes (Derby), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), John Swift (Reading), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
Forwards Demarai Gray (Leicester), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Nathan Redmond (Southampton), Dominic Solanke (Chelsea), Duncan Watmore (Sunderland)
