England striker says he wanted to do extra training
Wayne Rooney continues to remain at centre of discussion as England get ready to face Uruguay in a must win game. Photo: AP
Rio De Janeiro: England star Wayne Rooney hit back on Tuesday at media suggestions that he could be dropped from the World Cup team after he was seen training with the squad’s substitutes. Rooney’s team mates also leapt to his defence.
Frank Lampard expressed dismay at the national “fixation” with Rooney while teenaged star Raheem Sterling called the striker “world class.
Rooney has insisted he asked to do extra training which was why he was with England’s subsitutes on Monday.“Sometimes (I) wonder what the press are getting at,” the Manchester United striker wrote on his Facebook page.
“I said from the start I want to do everything I can to make sure I’m ready for these World Cup games and as part of that I was doing extra training a week before the squad joined up.
“That’s exactly what I did yesterday, my own extra training, because that’s what I wanted to do.”British media speculated about his team place after Rooney’s subdued display on the left side of England’s attack in their 2-1 opening Group D defeat by Italy on Saturday.
Teammates back star forward
The Football Association backed Rooney with a statement explaining how the 28-year-old had “requested additional training”.
The England squad also rallied around Rooney. Lampard said: “Unfortunately we do have a fixation with one player during every World Cup, ones that I’ve been involved in.
“It’s a bit frustrating when you’re in a team group and that happens because we’re there trying to play together people are not selfish in this squad trying to get results and a fixation with one player can become, rather than a debate, a bit of an agenda.
( Source : AFP )
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