ENGLAND
Rooney critical of Hodgson over England Euro 2016 woe
The Man Utd man said Roy Hodgson's selection "gamble" in the Three Lions' final group game was a major factor in their tournament exit.
Wayne Rooney has admitted that Roy Hodgson's unsuccessful selection gamble against Slovakia had a big part to play in their exit from Euro 2016.
Hodgson made six changes for England's final group match, and the subsequent goalless draw cost the Three Lions first place in their section.
England captain Rooney was one of those rested by Hodgson and the Manchester United forward says the loss of momentum caused by Hodgson's decision was instrumental in the team's stunning last-16 defeat against minnows Iceland.
"I wouldn't have rested six players. It's more than half the team. It was a gamble and it didn't pay off," Rooney told the Daily Mail on Monday.
"We had lost momentum from the Slovakia game and tournament football is about confidence. You get that from winning.
"We didn't play great in the friendlies, but we won. So you try to build, even from before the tournament, but we couldn't get that consistency once it began.
"It was Roy's decision to make changes against Slovakia and either way, the team he put out should have been able to win. But, right or wrong, I wanted to play and I can't deny that."
Rooney came on as a substitute against Slovakia, but the 30-year-old insists Hodgson, who stepped down immediately after the Iceland debacle, should have retained the team that defeated Wales in the previous fixture.
"When I came on against Slovakia it was difficult to change the game, impossible really. I was running around just trying to get the energy back into the team," he said.
"Watching, I felt we lacked aggression - in the running, in the passing, we didn't have the tempo, so that's what I was trying to create."