da aposte e ganhe： With the recent news that Wayne Rooney will miss up to six weeks through injury, reaction and opinion on the lay-off has been varied.
da 888casino： Whilst clearly it’s bad news for a Manchester United side still struggling for consistent form, the reaction from England fans has been more of a mixed bag. Many on forums, radio phone-ins and social media have actually suggested it could in fact be a blessing, the United and England captain not having his greatest season by any stretch of the imagination and overtaken and outshone by many playing in a similar position throughout the Premier League.
This raises the question, do England really need Wayne Rooney at the European Championships?
Even before news of his knee injury broke, there were whisperings that of all the attackers available to Roy Hodgson, Rooney was currently the least effective and in danger of missing out on a place in the squad altogether.
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With the form shown by Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane in the league, coupled with the return to fitness of Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge, it seemed that some felt there were far better options for the England front-line than the struggling Manchester United striker.
Then of course there are the raft of attacking midfielders available to Hodgson, the likes of Theo Walcott, Ross Barkley, Dele Alli and even Adam Lallana all to consider for selection.
Whilst not direct threats to Rooney’s role as striker, they do offer a wide variety of options in the attacking third and could impact on where and how Rooney is used within the first XI.
However, it seems somewhat ridiculous that the captain of England, one that recently became the nation’s highest ever goalscorer to boot, should even be considered as droppable for the Euro’s, but such are the woes of both Rooney and United this season.
Despite seven goals in his last nine in all competitions, his role and form for club has been questioned and repeatedly analysed for much of the season. This may have as much to do with the overall decline of United as a side under van Gaal this season as it has to do with Rooney specifically, but he is certainly not exempt from criticism.
And therein lies the biggest problem in suggesting Rooney does not deserve his place in the Euro squad. Whilst form and goalscoring for his club have wavered significantly, his role in the England side can not really be questioned.
A consistent performer for the national side, Rooney’s role as captain can not be underestimated. Since succeeding Steven Gerrard as the man to lead the Three Lions, Rooney has called player-only meetings, broke appearance and goal-scoring records and always leads from the front in terms of desire and attitude.
A drop in form, coupled with the emergence of other English strikers should in no way affect his position as England captain and key member of Hodgson’s squad. It seems highly unlikely that Roy would entertain that idea either, such is his preference for players he can trust, players he knows will do what he asks, and especially not the captain.
Despite opinion often being divided regarding the actual quality of Rooney, it remains a fact that he will always give 100% when pulling on a Three Lions jersey. Regardless of whether he has ever fulfilled the potential shown as a youngster is up for debate, but he remains one of England’s best players, a talismanic leader who has the ability to drag England up by its coat-tails should it be needed.
If all goes according to plan, he should return from injury at the end of March/beginning of April. This gives him plenty of time to regain some form and fitness for Manchester United and be in good shape for the Euro’s soon after.
If he isn’t, the wealth of attacking options able to cover for him mean that his goal-threat should not be as keenly missed, but an omission from the squad as a whole would surely be detrimental to any potential Three Lions success this summer, Rooney by far and away England’s most experienced international still playing for his country – something that could be vital come June.
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