Sessegnon’s England future to be assessed

Ryan Sessegnon’s England future will be assessed after the summer.

The winger, who turned 18 on Friday, has been omitted from the World Cup squad despite reports he could be included by boss Gareth Southgate.

He has scored 16 goals for Fulham this season, with the Whites chasing a Premier League return as they face Aston Villa in the Championship play-off final on Saturday.

That match also put him out of the picture for the Under-21s’ Toulon Tournament, with England facing China the same day, but Southgate has made it clear Sessegnon is in his future plans.

However, he will be handled with care and Under-21 boss Aidy Boothroyd insists Sessegnon will not be rushed.

Boothroyd said: “It’s about where we put him and also where we think he can get to.

“Those are the conversations we have about individual players every three or four months when we have an audit.

“The next one is after the summer so we’ll look at Ryan and look at where we picture him.

“In terms of England, he’s got one Under-21 cap. He did OK, didn’t pull up any trees but we know he’s a wonderful player who will thrive at Fulham and certainly with us.

“He’s an exceptional talent – I’m surprised he didn’t get a Bafta this week as he’s got everything else. He’s going to have to get the biggest sideboard known to man for all his awards.

“But the thing which excites me about him is he’s so focused about what he wants to do. Nothing is going to get in his way.

“It’s going to be really interesting as he’s a marked man now, the best players will work it out and come through it and he will because he’s an outstanding talent.”

Boothroyd gave Sessegnon his Under-21 debut in March in their 2-1 Euro 2019 qualifying win over Ukraine.