October 7th 2024.
Legendary footballer Wayne Rooney, who played for England and Manchester United, recently shared his thoughts on the current state of the English national team. Despite having a talented and dynamic squad, England has not won a major trophy in the men's game since the 1966 World Cup. Under former manager Gareth Southgate, they came close by reaching back-to-back European Championship finals, but ultimately fell short.
Rooney believes that the strength of the England squad and the Premier League will make them strong contenders at the 2026 World Cup. He specifically mentions two standout players, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who are currently playing in top leagues in Spain and Germany. Kane holds the record for most goals scored for England, while 21-year-old Bellingham is expected to be a key player for the national team for years to come, thanks to his impressive performances at Borussia Dortmund and now Real Madrid.
However, when asked to name the best player in the current England squad, Rooney surprised some by choosing Manchester City star Phil Foden. Despite a relatively quiet summer at the Euros, Foden has proven his talent in the Premier League, being named Player of the Season last year. While he has struggled for playing time this season due to returning late from the Euros and an illness, Rooney still believes that Foden is the top player for England.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Rooney said, "Phil Foden, for me. I know he hasn't played that much this season for Man City, but Phil Foden at his best is the best player England have got. Cole Palmer has been sensational since joining Chelsea, and you see everything Jude Bellingham is doing at Real Madrid. But for me, Phil Foden is the one. I really enjoy watching him."
England has come a long way since the crisis they were in before Southgate took over as manager in 2016. He has led them to two European Championship finals, where they lost on penalties to Italy in 2020 and suffered a defeat to Spain in the previous edition. Rooney remains hopeful that England will continue to challenge for major trophies, but also acknowledges that they may have missed their chance to end a 58-year wait for a trophy.
He said, "They're very talented. I just hope they haven't missed it in the last few tournaments because obviously someone like Harry Kane, who has scored a lot of goals, if he's not quite there in two years' time at the next tournament, what effect does that have? Hopefully they find a new one in that time or Kane is still banging them in. I just hope they haven't missed it, but then again, they've still got Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, James Maddison... they've got lots of exciting young players."
Southgate may have divided opinions among pundits and fans, with some feeling that the team underachieved given their resources. But Rooney has nothing but praise for him, saying, "He was unbelievable. To get England to two finals and a semi-final, he's done something no one else has done since 1966. He got us really close to winning a trophy, so yeah, I think he did a fantastic job."
With Southgate's departure, current interim manager Lee Carsley is the favorite to take over on a permanent basis. Rooney, who briefly played with Carsley at Everton, has heard good things about him and believes he could continue Southgate's work with a bit more urgency from the team.
He said, "From people I've spoken to who have worked with him, he seems to be a really good coach. The next step is just continuing what Gareth was doing but maybe with a bit more urgency from the team."
England will return to action during the international break with Nations League games against Greece and Finland. Fans can stay updated on all the latest Manchester United news, exclusives, and analysis by signing up for updates. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
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