South Gate: Bellin will have a rest after the Champions League final; Young players who perform well will have a chance

After the announcement of the preliminary list for the European Cup in England, Southgate received an exclusive interview with Sky Sports at the training base in St. George's Park, England, and talked about his idea of selecting players into the list and his expectations for the European Cup.

How hard is it to tell the players that they are not in the squad?

"To be honest, sometimes we have to make difficult decisions, whether for those players who have played in England for a long time or for those who have been in the team since I started coaching."

"Some of them are superstars for us and very important players for us, but others have exceeded them in priority."

"The team still needs experience, you still need team cohesion, but when young players perform well, they must also have opportunities."

Are you worried about losing some friendship by giving up some senior players?

"Listen, I don't like to make these calls, but it is more difficult for the players who answer the phone. We really must always keep this balance, because this is a team that has made progress in its own way. When you change too many players or lose some core players, this is the risk you face."

"Henderson has not been in good health since he was injured. Although he has excellent leadership and personality, he still needs to play his talents on the court. As for Rushford, I think some players on the court have performed better this season, so this is a difficult decision, but this is our job."

How likely is Luke Shaw to play? If England enters the knockout phase, will he be closer to returning?

"This is a difficult decision. We may choose another player. If he can only recover in the knockout phase, it means that he has not played for a long time, and then he has to find a suitable condition in one of the most important games in the world football. So I think we may need to see him back before the knockout phase."

Considering Kane's absence from the last game of Bayern this season, how worried are you about his health?

"The information we got from Bayern Munich and Kane is that it is a wise decision for him not to participate in the last game of this season, but we hope he can train once he arrives at us."

Bellingham is about to take part in the Champions League final. How important is he in the team?

"It's important for him to have a rest, so we won't let him participate in the last friendly match. Considering the intensity of this season, his outstanding performance this season and his longer playing time than anyone else, it's really important for him to recover physically and mentally one week after the Champions League final."

Do you have any idea about recruiting so many young players in this primary list?

"It's very simple. I always quote Wenger, because I think Wenger is a smart man - smarter than me! He always said to me that you should manage it as if you will always stay in a certain team, but if you think you may be fired tomorrow, I think this is what I have been trying to do."

"Yes, we must focus on the team and the people who may join the team, but this is also an opportunity to work with some young players and let them experience the experience of playing in England."

"Maybe some of them are forced to enter the list. Maybe some of them will stay in the team and go further, so that both the team and them will benefit. We have no reason to change this way of working."

But is it the same for core players?

"Everyone likes to talk about new players. For them and their families, being called up is a brilliant moment. Then things will stabilize. Look at the players who are most likely to start. They have played quite a lot now. For most of the players, this will be their third European Cup, so they also have good experience, but also very happy to see the growth of young players

Are you looking forward to the European Cup now?

"We always enjoy competition and try to prove ourselves. We are trying to make history, so this is very exciting. We are engaged in football to participate in and influence the game. So although I like other aspects of this job, in the final analysis, it is important to participate in international competitions."

"International competitions are an opportunity to define the team and create history, so why don't we be very excited about what is going to happen?"