Roy Hodgson: 'Louis van Gaal gave blessing for Jesse Lingard call-up'

Roy Hodgson has insisted that Louis van Gaal has given his blessing following Jesse Lingard's call-up to the England squad.

Hodgson made the decision to include the 22-year-old after Jamie Vardy dropped out of the squad for his side's friendly clash against France, despite his brief playing time for Manchester United this season.

Reports suggested that Van Gaal was unhappy about the decision by Hodgson, after he previously said that Lingard was not ready for international football at this stage of his career.

However, the 68-year-old is adamant that the move has not affected his relationship with the Dutchman.

"I don't think he was wrong to say that," Hodgson told reporters.

"Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't have been considering Jesse Lingard at this time, even though he's a very interesting player. I can understand why he said that.

"But the situation has changed enormously. He gave his blessing without any problem whatsoever. It would be unfair pushing that back on him."

England face France at Wembley on Tuesday.