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"A lot of supporters think [it's a problem that Marcus Rashford is on holiday] and the media have made a lot of it but Southgate hasn't.
"Let me try and explain the background to this because there was some apparent criticism for Rashford from the England manager in the build-up to the Italy game.
"Southgate was asked: 'Are you missing Marcus Rashford, is it a shame he's not here?' And Southgate's reply was that you can't miss what you haven't had.
"What he was referring to there is that Rashford has withdrawn from five of the last six England squads outside of tournaments.
"It did seem to be a bit of a veiled pop from Southgate to say: 'You don't seem as though you're really committed'.
"He was asked about it again by the newspapers and he played it all down and said there's no issue, that he's not here and if he's in America, having a nice time, relaxing, I've got no problem with that.
"But it does hint at a little bit of tension behind the scenes that Marcus Rashford, who has been extraordinary for Manchester United this season, is not available for England."