Southgate opens the door for Rooney to return to his squad
GARETH SOUTHGATE has re- opened the door for Wayne Rooney to return to the England squad despite the Manchester United striker playing no part in this week’s internationals.
The England boss has had to listen to demands that Rooney should be awarded the sort of farewell prestige fixture that Germany’s retiring Lukas Podolski had in Dortmund last Wednesday.
But Southgate insisted last night: “Absolutely, Wayne can still play for us.
“When I was asked about this in Germany, I didn’t understand why we were talking about tributes when he still has every chance of being in this team.
“I’m conscious that we’ll be talking about Wayne again, and I’d rather be talking about the players who are here, but there’s no reason why he’s finished with us.”
There has been talk of Rooney snubbing a meeting held by Southgate designed to outline his plans for the next 18 months and to which all injured squad members had been invited.
Southgate also brushed aside that inference, pointing out: “We had nine players who weren’t there, including Harry Kane, Danny Rose, Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson.
“There was never a problem with people missing it. The mostimportant thing for me was those
guys felt they’d been invited and felt part of the group.”
Sources close to Rooney backed Southgate’s position, insisting the 119-cap record scorer wants his farewell to be at the World Cup in Russia rather than in a “testimonial” at Wembley.
Rooney will certainly have to be playing more at club level than he is to force his way back. But Southgate refused to make regular first-team football a prerequisite for selection.
He said:“That’s the ideal scenario, but we probably have only 70 English players playing regularly in the Premier League, some of whom retired from England officially and others unofficially.
“In an ideal world you have all your players playing at the highest possible level and playinghavewantthe rule break“I door. don’t becausethe thatto acrossrightbe in want the open- charactersobviously Europe.future.”a hard minded.and throughI But mightfast We we Lithuaniathis Soeven in guth gina and,a Worldte’ s after teamCup his qualifiersuccessfaces with Germans, three at he’s the playingback againsthis cardsthe close to his chest when it comes to both formation and personnel.
He’s lost his three most senior centre- backs, the Manchester United pair Chris Smalling and Phil Jones because of injury and Chelsea’ s Gary Ca hill to suspension.
There’s a school of thought that he’d switch to a four, partly because he would want to front- attacking load playershis teamat home with against more weaker opposition.
“It’s important we’re adaptable and flexible,” he said. “Different opposition pose different problems.
“It has to suit us and be the right thing for us to hurt the opposition. We have spoken to the players about it because you have to know their feelings.
“They have a good view of the game, great experience as international players.
“They have to be comfortable in the roles you’re asking them to take. You want everyone clear in his mind so they can go and express themselves.
“I don’t think it’s about players having power but you have to be comfortable enough as a coach to be challenged. “The most difficult thing to do is go out there and play. They have to make decisions on the field.
“We might talk through setplays, and then the opposition might do something different so the team have to adapt in an instant.
“Our job is to help the players to see how they could do things differently, not kill them.
“Mistakes will happen in games of football. I made millions of them. It’s about what you learn from them
“Unless you’ re given responsibility as a player, you won’t feel accountable.
“My belief is that these players are more than capable of making those decisions.”