England Under-21 boss Southgate excited by Morrison potential

England Under-21 manager Gareth Southgate has hailed the "exciting" talent of midfielder Ravel Morrison.

The West Ham man made his first appearance for the Under-21 side in the 4-0 victory over San Marino last Thursday, after being rewarded for a series of fine displays in the Premier League this season.

Morrison is expected to be named in Southgate's starting line-up for the showdown with Lithuania on Tuesday, and the boss has urged caution on placing the onus on just player in his squad.

"[Morrison is] a different type of player to the others that we've got here," Southgate told reporters.

"He's capable of things that are very, very different, there's no question about that, and it's exciting to watch.

"We're a squad with lots of exciting players and I don't want to heap all of that focus on to one. I want him to be able to go on the field and express himself."

Southgate also revealed is Wilfried Zaha earmarked to feature against Lithuania and understands the youngster's frustration at his lack of playing time with Manchester United this season.

"It was never my intention to play him in both games this week," Southgate said. "I spoke to him in the early part of last week about that and he understands.

"He just wants to play football, but he’s at a fantastic football club and he realises that to get in the team there is going to be a lot of work and patience.

"We’ve had some good discussions about that and every day in training for him is another opportunity to get into that side."