Wayne Rooney has not stepped foot inside a football ground since 13th February 2016, however, English press cannot seem to stop talking about the England national captain.
Everyone wants to act on behalf of Roy Hodgson and decide whether Rooney should be in the starting XI for England at the upcoming Euro 2016.
Not for the first time, English media is getting carried away by the emergence of 4-5 young players who can actually play. With Harry Kane and Dele Alli bursting on to the scene, Rooney has suddenly become a surplus to requirement for his country.
However, those fans/analysts need to remember how Rooney became England’s all-time record goal scorer after scoring 4 goals in his last 5 International matches, one of them coming against France.
There is no denying Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy’s emergence for England, however, going in to a major tournament a player of Rooney’s caliber and experience must start for The Three Lions.
His presence on the pitch will force the opposition to formulate separate plans to contain the Manchester United striker. With Kane leading the line, Rooney will be ideal to slot in the number 10 role or play from the deep-lying play maker role.
One huge advantage with Rooney is his adaptability in different formations. He can easily play from the number 10 role in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 formation and he can also operate in midfield if Roy Hodgson decided to play with a 4-3-3 system.
There have been question marks regarding Rooney’s form in recent weeks, but despite that Rooney should be in the starting XI vs. Russia on 11 June in England’s opening group game. From there on, Rooney’s selection should or rather will be solely dependent on how he plays at the Euros.
Till then, English media should leave Wayne’s topic for now and let the team prepare ahead of a major tournament which they are entering as one of the favorites after a long time.
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