Wayne Rooney calls out three England stars for what they didn't do after Slovenia no-show
Wayne Rooney has accused England’s senior players of failing to front up after their no show against Slovenia.
The Three Lions put in a dire performance in Cologne, with fans both inside the stadium, and back at home venting their frustrations. It was the third below-par showing in a row, after narrowly beating Serbia and hanging on to a draw against Denmark.
And Rooney suggested some shirked their responsibilities in the immediate aftermath of the game, by not conducting media duties. Instead, it was left to the likes of Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer - both in their first tournament - to address the criticism of the display.
The former England skipper wasn’t impressed with that, naming Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford and Kyle Walker specifically. In his Times column, he said: “After Slovenia we should have seen Harry, Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker and other senior players fronting up.
“Instead it was Anthony Gordon doing the press, it was Cole Palmer doing bits — and this was after all the stuff at the end, when fans were throwing beer cups at Gareth Southgate.”
He added: “It’s then that you need your senior lads to be in front of the microphones, calming everything down. The young ones handled themselves well but, when one loose word can make the situation worse, it was a lot of pressure to put them under.”
Rooney also suggested that Jude Bellingham needs to be put in front of reporters in the near future. Bellingham turns 21 this weekend, but was named as part of Gareth Southgate’s new-look leadership group before the tournament.
Wayne Rooney was critical of some of England's senior stars
He continued: “My understanding is he has been shielded because he’s young, but he has 32 caps and has been a senior international since 2020. It may be time to grow up, make decisions and say, ‘I need to help out and speak during the difficult times.’”
Walker did appear on England’s official Lions’ Den YouTube channel on Friday, calling for calm ahead of Sunday’s last-16 showdown with Slovakia. Large portions of supporters have been demanding wholesale changes for the game in Gelsenkirchen, but the Manchester City defender doesn;t believe that’s necessary - although he does accept performances must improve.
Walker explained: “We all know that there’s another gear that we need to step up but as a defensive unit I think we’ve been very good. Only conceding the one goal and I think we’ve put in a few good performances.
COLOGNE, GERMANY - JUNE 25: Harry Kane of England in action during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between England and Slovenia at Cologne Stadium on June 25, 2024 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
“I don’t think you should change too much. Obviously, you have to play the game and the occasion and represent your country. Getting to a knockout stage, it’s about winning a game of football.
“But nothing can change too much because when you start to play the game and the occasion, then things start to go wrong.
“We’ve been here before. It’s not our first time going into a knockout scenario. We just need to make sure we up it that five or ten per cent, collectively and individually, and we’ll be fine.”
Mirror Football understands that Southgate will resist any calls for mass changes, with Kobbie Mainoo replacing Conor Gallagher the only anticipated switch. Kieran Trippier has been managing a calf issue, but is hoping to be fit, with Luke Shaw back on the bench after his own fitness issues.
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