Steven Gerrard says Wayne Rooney must be retained as England’s main man at the European Championships as he dismissed criticism of the Manchester United striker.
“When you are the captain of England and Manchester United all eyes and fingers get pointed your way when things are not going well,” said Gerrard.
“Who plays instead of him? Who is a bigger goal threat?
“With England, Vardy is doing well, Harry Kane is doing well, but in a big game who is England‘s best chance of scoring? Does anyone think it is not Wayne Rooney? If there is a penalty in the last 10 minutes to progress out of a group and into the last sixteen or a quarter-final who would you want to take the penalty? Who does everyone else in the dressing room at Manchester United and England look to for inspiration, Who are they all hiding behind pressure wise when it is not going well?
There have been calls for Rooney to be benched for England
“Wayne Rooney does more than just score goals, he has an impact on the whole team and squad.”
Gerrard can relate his own experiences when he felt a clamour for him to be replaced after disappointing performances.
“I have been there and when you are not on top form and you are under a bit of pressure and everyone is having a go, no one wants to turn that round more than yourself but you need help,” said Gerrard.
Steven Gerrard says Rooney should be supported
“You need to play through it to get back to where you want to be. He hasn’t lost ability. For me he is getting a little bit on unfair stick. They are not analysing it properly and jumping on this bandwagon. Wayne Rooney is a major player and he is probably the only person capable or proven to get the goals you need to get out of the group to progress in the tournament.
Jamie Vardy is the English striker of the season Photo: Getty
“I am not saying no one should criticise him, but analyse it properly. everyone knows he is not pulling up trees and in the best form of his life, but I am talking about big games moving forward. You cant discard him and say put other people in, Vardy is not proven at international level, Kane has scored some good goals and shown he has got potential. But everything else is potential. Sturridge we are waiting for him to get fit and stay fit consistently. Wayne for me is still in.”
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