Empty your mind, Wayne ... and take last chance to become a true great
DO not waste your breath. Wayne Rooney plays, Wayne Rooney starts.
There is more chance of Roy Hodgson not wearing a watch the size of Wembley than Rooney not being part of his XI kicking off against Russia on Saturday.
You can argue about the system until you are England’s white, red and powder blue in the face, but one thing is stone-cold certain. Rooney is in it. So he should be. Not because he is the captain, but because he remains one of the few English footballers capable of the sublime.
He has not produced it in the last four major tournaments, but he is still capable of it.
Even in that ill- fated system on Thursday, he was one of the better performers.
Hodgson sees him as more than a potential game-changer.
Ahead of the Portugal match, he referred to Rooney as part of the “management team” and said he had asked the captain to address the squad after its make-up had been confirmed.
Fine. But England does not need epic speeches from a character least likely to deliver epic speeches – England needs epic performances from a character most likely to deliver epic performances.
All this stuff about looking after the young players? Pure nonsense and little more than a pointless distraction.
Dele Alli doesn’t look like he needs looking after.
Who cares if Rooney has developed into a mature, responsible, eloquent figurehead for this England, into Hodgson’s assistant manager on the field? That will not win a tournament. Never mind Rooney’s Churchillian address to the squad – someone needs to give a Churchillian address. This is your last chance, Wayne. Statistics will show you are a recordbreaker, memories will rate you an under-achiever. Statistics will show a multitude of caps and goals, memories will show you the possessor of a phenomenal talent that was never truly fulfilled in an England shirt.
Statistics will show England – for 12 years – could not go into a tournament without you, memories will show England could not flourish in a tournament with you.
That is what should be driving Rooney.
Forget the captaincy bit – its importance is overblown.
Rooney should make Euro 2016 personal.
It could be argued that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have also never truly taken an int e r n a t i o n a l tournament by storm – but such has been the constantly spellbinding nature of their club form, they will go down as all-time world greats. Rooney belongs a tier below. So far. What would change that is seeing Rooney lighting up a major championship.
Despite so many disappointments – ’06, ’10, ’12, ’14 – he retains the ability to do just that. Nor does he have to drop deep, deep into midfield to do that. I would wager Jose Mourinho will not play him there.
If Hodgson wants a diamond, play Rooney alongside Kane, Alli in behind.
If he wants 4- 2- 3- 1, Rooney is one of the three supporting Kane. Simple.
Either way, do not waste your breath. There will be no Rexit. The argument is spurious. He plays.
But how he plays will define Rooney’s legacy. One more tournament flop and true greatness will have eluded him. That is the speech he should be giving to himself. Eric Dier Jack Wilshere Raheem Sterling Dele Alli Wayne Rooney Harry Kane