Gareth Southgate wary of picking senior players for England Under-21s

England Under-21 manager Gareth Southgate has revealed that he will not necessarily bring senior players back into his squad for next summer's European Championship finals.

Roy Hodgson suggested earlier this month that players in his senior squad who are eligible to play in the tournament could be available to Southgate, who has stopped short of saying whether he will make changes to his plans.

"There are players who, in both of our opinions, have moved beyond the Under-21 set-up even though they're eligible, and I think it would be very harsh on the group I've got to take them through the qualifying campaign and not involve them in the finals," Southgate told Sky Sports News.

"It's a balance between getting great experience and trying to be successful, but sometimes that isn't always by just having the best players. The dynamic of the group is very important."

Southgate's side meet Croatia over two legs next month for a spot in the finals.