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Wayne loves new heroes
WAYNE ROONEY would love to turn back the clock and captain the new, vibrant young England squad.
The former skipper, 33, was once a junior member of the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ that never fulfilled its true potential, eventually proving less than the sum of its parts.
Now Rooney believes Gareth Southgate’s crop will go on to achieve greatness and finally win the trophy that always eluded him.
He said: “We had superstars and this team has got superstars. There is no limit to what they can achieve now.”
Rooney admits he did not always always hit the heights at international level.
But that only served to emphasise his fierce belief in the current crop when the DC United star turned out in a final, emotional farewell appearance against his adopted country USA, at Wembley on Thursday.
The reception that he got from the England fans justified Southgate’s decision to include the Three Lions’ record scorer in the squad one last time.
He came, saw, played and left disappointed that some of his former England team-mates seem jealous of this current crop, refusing to accept that they are the real deal.
Rooney said: “I would love to be their captain. I’d be proud to be their captain. I’ve gone from hero to fan.
“It was nice to be back. It was a nice send-off and it was a great way to say thank you to the fans, a proud moment for myself and my family and it’s something that I will remember for a long, long time.
“My family enjoyed being back. I haven’t been home yet but I’ve got a day there before I fly back to the States.
“I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed being around the players, around Gareth and the coaching staff – and obviously seeing how they are developing.
“I think everyone can see that the potential in the team is huge.
“Coming off the back of the World Cup they were hugely successful.
“In a strange way the game against Spain will give them more confidence than the World Cup because it’s a massive result to win away in Spain.
“To be around them and see how they have developed and see how Gareth is coaching them is great. The Nations League is good and any competitive football always helps.
“I know from seeing how they are preparing for the game against Croatia that they will try and win that and get to a semi-final.”
The former Three Lions skipper, who featured in three World Cups and three Euro finals tournaments for his country, added: “To win the tournament next summer would be good.
“It’s new, like my appearance against USA. It’s new and people have different opinions.
“This tournament at the minute is not the
‘There is no limit to what this squad can achieve now’
biggest but it might be a big tournament and a stepping stone for a lot of countries over the next 10 or 15 years.
“I think to win any trophy is great and if England can do that then myself and the fans will be delighted.
“We were considered the Golden Generation, but these youngsters are the real deal.
“Someone said we had superstars, yeah we did, but this team’s got superstars.”
Rooney, who won 120 caps and netted a record 53 times for his country, added: “It’s got a leading goalscorer for four years in Harry Kane, it has Raheem Sterling, John Stones at centre-back – names in world football.
“It’s got great players but also young players and a great squad, good players who can come in if people are injured.
“I saw first-hand that they are getting coached right, with the right ideas and they are responding really well to it so, hopefully, these can be the ones to bring the next trophy home for us.
“They have players like Jadon Sancho, who is a fantastic talent. I spoke to him before the game and he said that he was nervous, which is normal.
“I think that what he showed, though, was that he wasn’t scared to go out there and make mistakes.
“He’s an 18-year-old, so of course you are going to make mistakes, and I said to him, ‘Have an impact, have a few moments on the pitch when people remember that moment’.
“He certainly did that.
“Am I jealous of him? An 18-year-old starting out? I’m not jealous.
“Now I’m a fan and I’ve had my time. Are you jealous of me because I’m younger than you?
“I’m excited for him but I’m excited for them all because I’m a fan of England. I’m excited for England.
“It’s a great opportunity for this group of players to go that next step.
“They’ve already done that in getting to a World Cup semi-final but they can’t sit there and say, ‘We were the team along with 1990 who got to the semi-final’.
“They have the potential to go further and I know from the mentality of the players, even though they are still young, that the mentality is right.
“They will be pushing for more.”