Wayne Rooney at Wembley.

Rooney names the Red who could be vital for England

Monday 14 June 2021 11:34

Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney is cautiously optimistic the Three Lions can achieve success at Euro 2020, if experienced players like Harry Maguire return to action.

Rooney was in attendance at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon to see Gareth Southgate’s team beat Croatia 1-0, thanks to a goal from Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling. 

It was an accomplished performance from England and Wayne was impressed by a number of players, including Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings, Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips and West Ham talisman Declan Rice. 

Speaking to the ‘Good Morning Euros’ programme on Sky Sports News, United and England’s all-time leading goalscorer gave his verdict on England’s performance and looked forward to two key men returning.  

 

“To win that was massive, Croatia are a good team and it will give the players a relief that they are comfortable in the group now,” Rooney told Mark Wright. “They'll be a bit more relaxed going into the game against Scotland as, if they didn't win, they could have been a bit anxious.

“Scotland will be tough but, after winning the game [against Croatia], I think England will comfortably go through to the next round. That's when I think it could get difficult for England - when you come up against a France, Portugal or Belgium - one of those top teams.

“There's a lot of quality in the squad, my only worry is a lack of experience - it's important Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson get fit because they will be vital moving forward. Quality-wise, they have as much as anyone in the competition and they have a great chance.”

OUR FOUR LIONS

Marcus Rashford was the only United player to feature for England against Croatia on Sunday, after he stepped off the bench to replace Phil Foden in the 71st minute. 

Dean Henderson was named on the bench and he is thought to be the Three Lions' number two goalkeeper, while Luke Shaw was also among the unused replacements in London. 

Maguire was not named in the matchday squad, but he was pictured training at the end of last week and is reportedly improving his fitness from day to day. There is speculation that he might feature in the third group game, against Czech Republic, but that is still to be confirmed. 

 

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