Wayne Rooney claims Marcus Rashford is better off in England Under-21s but insists his time will come

WAYNE ROONEY claims it is important that  Marcus Rashford drops into England’s Under-21s.

New Three Lions boss Sam Allardyce has made the  call to axe the teen from the senior squad for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier  in Slovakia.

Instead for Rashford, who scored Manchester United’s winner at Hull on Saturday, it is a case of The Only Way Is Essex.

He will lead the line for Gareth Southgate’s youngsters in Colchester in eight days’ time against Norway in a Euro Championship qualifier.

Rooney, who will keep the England captaincy, said: “It’s a huge honour for him to play for England. It was a big moment for him to go to the Euros and it’s still important for his development to go and play with the U-21s.

“It’s important  he gets games because he hasn’t played that much.  He knows that and  understands that.  His time will come and he will get his chance for Manchester United and England.

“We know that and we saw it last season. He’s a young lad and it’s important not to get too carried away.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to do that because he’s such a talented player but we need to — as players and team-mates — try and guide him through it and let him focus on the football.”

Rooney showed real quality in injury time against Hull to create the chance for 18-year-old substitute Rashford.

The Old Trafford skipper added: “Marcus is a fantastic player, one of the brightest talents in Europe.

“He did brilliantly when he came on against Hull and got his goal.

“We’re trying to work together and do the best for the team to get the right result and, thankfully, I’ve managed to get it across for Marcus, who was in a great position to tap  in.”

United boss Jose Mourinho also believes Allardyce has made the correct decision to take Rashford out of the senior squad.

The Portuguese coach added: “I think if he went with the full squad, Sam would put him on the bench.

“Can he help the first team to win matches like he’s helping Manchester United? I think he can.

“But for me, from a selfish point of view, thinking just about me and the evolution of my player, I prefer him to play with the U-21s – I think it’s very good for him to be on the pitch for 90 minutes.

“But Sam knows that if he needs the kid, he has the kid.”

Remarkably, Rashford became the first teen to score for Mourinho in a Prem game.

Asked whether he knew this fact, Mourinho said: “No. But I have the youngest player  to score a goal in a Champions League final, Carlos Alberto for Porto at 18 years old.

“So it depends on the quality of the players. If the quality is very good, you forget about the passport.

“I just want to say Rashford is a very good player and a very good boy. He has the perfect head for an 18-year-old, very stable, not in the moon — so I think he has everything.”