England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed why Jadon Sancho was selected ahead of Callum Hudson-Odoi against Montenegro.
The Borussia Dortmund winger was recalled to the Three Lions' XI in the place of Raheem Sterling who was left out after his altercation with Joe Gomes on Monday.
With Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford retaining their places in attack, the final slot looked to be a straight shoot-out between Sancho and Hudson-Odoi.
The Chelsea winger was recalled to the England squad for the first time this season having recovered from a long-term injury.
The form of Christian Pulisic has prevented him from starting for Frank Lampard's side in recent week, however, with Sterling out of the picture, he would have been hopeful of earning a starting spot for England's 1000th games.
However, with Sancho getting the nod despite his indifferent form in Germany, Southgate has revealed why he opted for the young Dortmund star.
"He's a good young player," he told ITV ahead of kick-off.
"He's an exciting winger and when you're in those positions where you have to take them on and beat them you can get inconsistencies and it's the hardest thing on the field to do.
"We have a huge belief in him and I'm looking forward to seeing the whole team play."
Hudson-Odoi could still feature from the substitute bench, having made his debut for England earlier in the year.
The Chelsea winger has two caps and one goal to his name so far for England.
