Wayne Rooney has come out and backed his manager Roy Hodgson’s decision to rest key players in the last group stage match of the Euros. England now face an uphill task of reaching Euros finals after being grouped in the same bracket as France, Germany and Spain.
The Three Lions captain was asked by reporters ahead of their Round of16 tie against Iceland at Euro 2016, whether he agreed with his manager’s decision to rest key players. Wayne Rooney put his weight behind Roy’s decision to rest players and went on to add that this would result in the players feeling fresh for the match against Iceland.
Roy Hodgson decided to rest the captain and star striker Harry Kane and it seemed to backfire as they were held to a stalemate against Slovakia. This result meant England finished the group in second place behind Wales and find themselves in the tougher part of the bracket alongside with teams like France, Germany and Spain.
Hodgson received much flak from the fans and pundits alike for the decision. Former England captain Ray Wilkins hit out at England manager’s decision to rest players, especially Wayne Rooney.
Wilkins went on to point out that Wayne Rooney was the cog that made the English midfield tick in the first two games and that he should’ve been started the game. He even went on to say that if he were Wayne Rooney, he’d be fuming at being left on the bench.
Superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic has announced his retirement from International football as Sweden got knocked out of the Euros after a narrow 0-1 loss to Belgium in a must-win tie.
The most coveted player in Sweden’s history waved goodbye to his fans in the most Zlatan way possible by penning a tribute to himself through an Instagram post, thanking his fans for their love and support.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a name that has caught headlines for more than a decade, finally called time on an illustrious international career. The 34-year old self proclaimed eccentric journeyman scored 62 goals for the yellow and white outfit and is widely recognised as the best talent to have emerged from the Nordic nation.
In an emotional farewell through his Instagram post, there were hints of the ever-confident Zlatan proclaiming that “I am Sweden”; but, in general he thanked the fans for their love and support. He finished with a heartwarming couple of sentences,”You will always be in my blue and yellow heart. I love you.”
With the announcement of his retirement from International football, it will be interesting to see how will he perform at the club level with reports of him joining Manchester United gaining pace. Pundits and Manchester United fans alike will be hoping this deal gets done. If the deal goes through, prepare for the Barclays Premier League to be Zlatan’ed.
