Gareth ranks Wayne with greats

GARETH SOUTHGATE has hailed Wayne Rooney as the greatest striker he ever played with.

And that is quite an accolade, considering Southgate took to the field for the Three Lions alongside Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and Teddy Sheringham.

But the England manager has been so impressed with Rooney’s achievements he ranks him alongside Paul Gascoigne and Paul Scholes as one of the three most influential stars of the modern game.

This might explain why he and his FA bosses have gone to such great lengths to recall the 33-year-old from retirement one last time and make sure his international farewell is one to remember.

But Southgate is in no doubt Rooney stands head and shoulders above most and said: “There were some brilliant players I played with across 10 years.

Incredible

“It doesn’t seem right to leave the David Beckhams and Teddy Sheringhams out of a list but Gascoigne, Scholes and Rooney were the stand-outs.

“I played with Rooney at the start of his career. But for him to go on and overtake Sir Bobby Charlton’s record and Gary Lineker’s record is incredible.

“For me, one of the stand-outs was the different types of goals he scored. But his game intelligence as well was top.”

No stone has been left unturned when it comes to making sure Wazza finally feels appreciated – right down to the fact Southgate put together a highlights reel of Rooney’s record-breaking career to show to his squad at St George’s Park earlier this week.

The Three Lions boss is determined the former Manchester United man will get the sendoff he deserves as he stands on the brink of his 120th cap and looks to add to his 53 goals.

But Southgate admits the montage was unable to do the DC United star justice. He said: “At the beginning of the week, at the opening meeting with the players, we put some of the highlights together.

“Not film but key things about the age he was when he made his debut, the age he was when he scored his first England goal.

“The six major tournaments, the moment of his 50th goal, that he’s our record goalscorer. We’ve spoken to the players a lot about our former players and the importance of them.” Southgate says he is disappointed some people have questioned Rooney’s return to the England set-up 15 months after retiring and accusing it of being a publicity stunt.

He added: “It has been disappointing to see him almost have to defend his inclusion in the game but that is where we are. The more important thing is that within the England group we value what he has done.

“The hardest thing in football is to cross the white line and it is incredibly hard when you are the person who is expected to deliver.

“Very few people in the world can appreciate what that feels like, it’s very different even to run-of-the-mill players like me who played for England.

“He was in the England team, front and centre of it, from 17. It is incredible to live your life and grow up in that spotlight and be able to cope with it and excel within it.

“For him the biggest thing is the team didn’t quite get to where he wanted to.

“But when you look at what he has lived through and the performances he gave – the big goals he scored, the moments he had to deliver and the pressure he had to take individually – it is an incredible career.

“I know all of the staff and all the players are delighted to have him with us. The reaction of the supporters is something that is going to feel special to him.”