Wayne Rooney came off the bench for the final few minutes of Man United’s victory at West Ham before starting in consecutive victories over Aston Villa and Crystal Palace as he steps up his recovery from injury. By his own admission, Rooney’s form has not been great this season and the 30-year-old has struggled for goals this campaign.
His performances have left many critics arguing that it’s time for England to move on as we turn our attentions towards France this summer.
It’s not like Roy Hodgson is short of options up top either; Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and even Andy Carroll, will all be vying for a place on the Eurostar so we’ve been inspired to contemplate whether Rooney deserves a place in the England starting 11 or, remarkably, should he even be granted a place in the squad?
Hodgson spoilt for choice
In a barely believable Premier League season, Spurs striker Harry Kane and Leicester starlet Jamie Vardy have been on fire for their respective clubs and both lead the way at the top of the goal-scoring charts.
Both Spurs and the Foxes are fighting for the Premier League title and it’s been a long time since England headed into a major international tournament with two strikers in such a rich vein of form.
Kane currently leads the race for the Premier League Golden Boot with 24 strikes this season, closely followed by Vardy with two less as we head into the final few games of the season.
The duo are very different players which works to both their advantage; in the glimpses of the pair we’ve seen in recent friendlies, this partnership could really flourish but Roy Hodgson does have his favourites and it remains to be seen whether he will opt to play them both together.
Rooney is undoubtedly one of Hodgson’s star men and the striker all but sealed England’s passage to France with his goals in the qualifiers. However, based on form and merit, Rooney should not be the first-choice striker and lots of fans would argue that England will not miss him.
Most of the pundits are in agreement that the most likely team selection for the Euro 2016 opener against Russia (all being well) is that Kane will start up front and Rooney will be played at number 10. It would seem very unlikely that the United star will be dropped from the starting line-up for all of England’s group games.
It’s also important to consider Rooney’s performances in previous major tournaments. The Man United hit-man first burst onto the scene during Euro 2004 and since then he has gone on to bag 5 goals in the European Championships proper.
In 2014, he finally broke his World Cup duck when he netted against Uruguay in Brazil and let’s not forget that he is also England’s leading goal scorer of all time with 51 strikes. However, has Rooney really done himself justice with those major tournament returns when we pit him against the likes of Germany's Thomas Muller and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo?
There’s no doubt that Rooney still has lots to give to the dressing room – he’s been there and seen it all – but England need performances, and more importantly goals, if they’re to mount a serious challenge in France this summer.
Excitement building
Historically there has always been mass hysteria surrounding the England squad going into major tournaments and the dreamers have been out in full force following that stunning victory over the Germans in Berlin. The Three Lions are unlikely to lift the Euro 2016 trophy when we consider the plethora of talent in the Spanish, German and Italian ranks but that doesn’t mean there isn’t cause for optimism.
Unlike recent tournaments, there is a core group of English talents that is playing with real confidence. Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been a revelation in this campaign and heads into the tournament with 10 top-flight goals and 12 assists.
Everton playmaker Ross Barkley has also proved a point this term after bagging eight goals and eight assists for the toffees, despite Everton’s woes. If those players stay fit, and if England can build up some momentum following the Russia game, then we may allow ourselves to believe once again.
