Miami: Few England players will be feeling the heat as much as Wayne Rooney on the team’s pre-World Cup stop in Miami. The closer they get to the World Cup, the greater the pressure on the striker to produce the kind of performances for England that earned him the most lucrative contract in Manchester United history last season. Rooney, who collected more than $20 million a year at United, has scored 38 goals in 89 England appearances since bursting onto the scene as a teenager. But he has now gone four matches on international duty without scoring.
No wonder the country was so concerned about their star striker’s struggles with just two weeks before England open their World Cup campaign against Italy in Brazil. England coach Roy Hodgson, though, was trying to ensure Rooney was not burdened by the expectations in a country who have not won the World Cup since 1966 — or even reached the semi-finals in 24 years. “I think it’s a bit sad that the country is so Wayne Rooney-obsessed,” Hodgson said ahead of the team’s arrival on Sunday in Miami for two World Cup warm-up matches. “I don’t think Wayne sets himself up to be anything other than a very important member of the squad who tries his best at all times.”
