HE THINKS IT’S ALL OVER
Forget Rooney recall says Lions legend
WORLD CUP hero Sir Geoff Hurst has told Gareth Southgate NOT to pick Wayne Rooney. The England boss watched the Everton striker continue his impressive start to the season with a goal against Manchester City on Monday. It was his 200th Premier League goal and prompted a plea from Rooney to Three Lions boss Southgate for an international recall. Southgate names his squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Lithuania tomorrow. But Hurst has told him to forget Rooney. He said: “He has made some bold decisions and I think another bold one he can make is to say it’s the end of Rooney’s international career. “He has been an absolutely fantastic player. At club level he wasn’t
playing regularly for Manchester United last season and if you are not playing regularly at club level, you certainly should not represent England.
“If I were in charge of the national team I would call Wayne up and say, ‘Thanks very much’.
“He has been a fantastic player, one of the greatest, but – and I have been there as a striker – you lose a bit of sharpness.
“I think his time playing for England is over.”
But Goodison skipper Phil Jagielka believes his new team-mate is back in the international mix.
“If England come knocking, he has more goals to go for so I am sure he will be happy,” said Jagielka.
“If not, we would be delighted that he gets a rest and is ready to go for us.”
Rooney, 31, hasn’t played for his country since last November against Scotland and Southgate has left him out of his last two squads.
But thinking ahead to next summer’s World Cup, McDonald’s director of football Hurst added: “He has to be playing over a long period of time to be successful and selected.
“If he does it for half a season, where he’s scoring goals and playing well, then maybe he could argue his case.”