Rooney faces battle to regain England place after 3-2 win
LONDON: Outstanding performances by three attacking players of England made a 3-2 comeback win over Germany has sparked renewed debate about where injured captain Wayne Rooney fits in for the Euro 2016 finals.
After Roy Hodgson’s team fell 2-0 behind to the world champions in Berlin on Saturday, the Premier League’s two leading scorers this season, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, brought England level with superb goals.
Many observers, including Germany’s former World Cup-winning captain Lothar Matthaeus, made teenager Dele Alli the man of the match in what Hodgson called his best night as England manager.
Alli, 19, played in the ‘No 10’ role just behind the main striker, which is arguably Rooney’s most effective position.
When playing as a lone striker, the Manchester United captain has often looked isolated and become frustrated by a lack of involvement, tending to drop too deep to seek the ball. Before injuring a knee against Sunderland on Feb 13 Rooney was on a good run, but still has only seven league goals this season — like Alli — compared to Kane’s 21 and Vardy’s 19.
Geoff Hurst, whose hat-trick won England the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany, believes Vardy could be a surprise package in the European Championship finals in France.
“He’s come from nowhere, a very good level-headed guy who’s very sensible, very intelligent,” Hurst told the BBC on Sunday.
“Either Harry Kane or Vardy definitely deserve their place with the season they’ve had. “And Alli has made an impact not just at club level but in internationals.”
Trevor Brooking, the FA’s director of football development from 2004-14, said the most important thing for Rooney was to be fully fit this time. (Reuters)