Richard Buxton: Southgate takes a leaf from Fergie's book
England manager tries to emulate Man United legend by giving teens a chance
Club and country are seldom a healthy combination where England is concerned.
Battle lines were often drawn with players prematurely taking leave from international duty within moments of being called up, only to feature for their respective clubs just days later.
| MONTENEGRO | ENGLAND |
Gareth Southgate, however, is clearly cut from a different cloth to his recent predecessors.
Rather than keeping a once supposed enemy at arm's length, he has chosen to embrace it.
The Three Lions coach's decision to take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson's book ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifier with Montenegro tomorrow morning (Singapore time) is a revealing insight as to how times have changed, for Southgate himself as much as the national team.
It was little more than a decade ago that he was publicly feuding with Ferguson at club level.
In late 2006, Manchester United's erstwhile boss had admonished his opposite number as "very naive" for labelling Cristiano Ronaldo a cheat following Middlesbrough's 2-1 defeat.
Ronaldo went one better, claiming that Southgate "should understand football much better".
Drawing from Ferguson's legacy shows that the man who guided England to the semi-finals at last year's World Cup and into the Nations League Finals in June has indeed reached a higher level of footballing intelligence.
United's success rate for cultivating youth under the legendary Scot has become a blueprint which numerous teams have sought to replicate but ultimately failed.
But England may prove the exception with arguably the most precocious talent pool in decades at its disposal.
Southgate cited Ferguson's handling of Ryan Giggs as reference for his own plan to guide Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi through their respective international journeys.
Wales' current manager was never guilty of having too much too young because the Red Devils simply never allowed it.
His 23 unbroken seasons at the club's vanguard were a testament to careful management and harnessed expectations under Ferguson's watch.
He was not the only one, though. Both at Old Trafford and away from it, United's fabled Class of '92 were able to consistently perform at the highest level until retiring in their late 30s.
If England are to avoid repeating mistakes from their past, a similar hawk-like approach will be required of Southgate - especially with the hype surrounding Sancho and Hudson-Odoi set to intensify following a resounding 5-0 win over the Czech Republic last week.
Unlike Ferguson, he does not have the luxury of daily surveillance of the pair on the training ground.
Sancho's self-confidence continues to soar in a season at Borussia Dortmund that could see him become a Bundesliga title winner within weeks of turning 19.
Keeping a lid on expectations of Hudson-Odoi, similarly, may be easier said than done after becoming the country's youngest-ever player to feature in a competitive match.
Had a raft of injuries not forced Southgate's hand, he would still be paying his dues in the Under-21 set-up.
Conceivably, the Chelsea winger will find himself back at that stage by the time England are vying for the Nations League this summer, while Sancho is likely to be a peripheral figure.
The pair's lack of senior international experience counts against them in the interim but starring roles at Euro 2020 are more realistic expectations.
If Southgate's attempt to emulate "Fergie's fledglings" pays off, a truly golden generation will finally emerge.
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