adminThis boyish appetite for the game has survived it all.
“Rooney’s talent was shaped on the streets of Croxteth,” said Steven Gerrard. “Out of the front door, bang, into a game. No warming up, no tension, let’s get cracking lads.”
Gerrard wrote this in his autobiography as a reflection on Rooney’s first start for his country, a European qualifier against Turkey in Sunderland 10 years ago next week.
England won 2-0 with goals by Darius Vassell and David Beckham but it was the teenager unleashed up front by Sven Goran Eriksson who convinced those at the Stadium of
Light that they had witnessed something special, the arrival of a young English footballer destined for greatness. Gary Lineker said it had taken his breath away. Eriksson said: “I can’t see any reason why I should leave him out if he plays like that.”
Since then, no England manager has. Only injury, suspension and pleasing Sir Alex Ferguson by giving him the odd rest have interfered with a collection of 79 caps.
Yet Hodgson’s squad will board a plane at Birmingham bound for San Marino with Rooney still an enigmatic presence.
It is as if he has been burdened by a decade of being England’s best and the weight of expectation produced during Euro 2004, which ended when he broke a metatarsal at Lisbon’s Stadium of Light.
Up front with Rooney on his full debut against Turkey was Michael Owen, who announced this week he plans to retire from football at the end of the season.
Owen’s decision met with fond reflection upon an England career of 40 goals: the firecracker against Argentina, a hat-trick in Germany, the opener against Brazil in a World Cup quarter-final.
Where are the spine-tingling moments from Rooney, England’s youngest ever scorer? A brace in Bulgaria and a fierce strike in Russia do not have the same impact.
The close-range header against Ukraine in Donetsk was vital for England’s progress at Euro 2012 but was his first goal at a major international tournament for eight years.
Unfortunately, the red cards against Portugal and Montenegro spring more readily to mind.
He compares well with Owen, another teenage prodigy. Rooney has seven fewer goals in 10 fewer games, a ratio he should be confident of boosting today against San Marino, ranked the world’s worst international team by Fifa.
Beyond this, Rooney’s contribution cannot simply be calculated by goals. He has been up front alone, in a pair, in the hole off the front man and, occasionally, wide. You can even throw in the odd cameo in midfield.
He craves involvement, ever willing to do a job in a different system. It is still the way at Manchester United. Picked against Real Madrid away, he was dropped at home. Is this evidence of his slow conversion from playmaker to workhorse?
Fabio Capello perhaps came closer than others to unlocking the secret for England. Rooney scored half of his 24 competitive England goals for Capello. Nine of them came in nine qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, playing up front with Emile Heskey.
But he travelled to South Africa with questions surrounding his fitness and, it would later emerge, his head in a spin from personal issues.
Under the pressure of comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he cut an angry figure, swearing at a female linesman in a practice match, scrawling abusive messages on his golf shoes and sounding off into a TV camera about England fans who booed the team after a goalless draw against Algeria.
Rooney went a year without a goal for England while strike partners came and went: Bobby Zamora, Peter Crouch, Darren Bent, Kevin Davies, Ashley Young, Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck have all had a go since the last World Cup.
When Hodgson took the job last year, he was unequivocal about his star man. “We all know Rooney is best as a No. 10,” he said.
“The fact he’s such a good player and can play in other positions, that’s another matter. From my conversations with him, from all the games I’ve watched him play, he’s extremely dangerous as a second striker.”
Last month, in a friendly against Brazil, Rooney was the spearhead in a 4-3-3 shape designed to accommodate Jack Wilshere. The experiment worked well and the most encouraging aspect of the 2-1 victory was the way that Wilshere, Rooney and Tom Cleverley combined.
Will Hodgson stick to this shape with Wilshere injured or take a step back? — Mailonline.
Online Reporter