Wayne Rooney has made a fresh claim about a certain Manchester City player and his role for England at Euro 2024.
The Manchester United legend is perhaps one of the best candidates to discuss the Three Lions’ tactical woes — considering he has the second-highest number of caps for the English national team in their history as well as his experience as a manager at Derby County, DC United and Birmingham City.
As a result, not many former players perhaps understand what comes with playing for England better than Rooney, who can also view their ongoing struggles from a managerial perspective.
One of the persisting questions about Gareth Southgate’s side is which player to deploy at left-back, with Micah Richards going as far as to suggest Kyle Walker should play in the position.
Wayne Rooney makes fresh claim about Kyle Walker
Through no fault of his own, Kieran Trippier has been having a tough time adapting to the position, also due to being a right-footer.
As quoted by The Guardian, Luke Shaw was quizzed after England’s 0-0 draw against Slovakia about when he will be fit to start, as he replied: “Next game.”
But even so, only time will tell whether Shaw’s fitness will be risked, considering Gareth Southgate’s side are expected to come out on top in the Round of 16 clash.
Wayne Rooney is against the idea of Walker deputising at left-back, as he believes he has been the best right-back in world football for years.
On BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily show, Rooney said: “At the minute, it’s [Kieran] Tripper or Joe Gomez, for me, who should play there. I was very surprised and really shocked that Ben Chilwell didn’t get picked, just for the balance of having a left-footed player there.”
“So, do you play Tripper or Gomez there? Do you bring Kyle Walker across? Over the past few years, Kyle has been the best right-back in the world. Do you take that away from him and put him at left-back? There’s so many imbalances about the team.”
If Luke Shaw is not fit, Kyle Walker may be considered for left-back role
Seeing how Gareth Southgate deployed the £50 million man as a makeshift left-back against Slovenia, when he substituted Kieran Trippier off for Trent Alexander-Arnold could indicate that he could be deployed in the same role if Luke Shaw is not deemed fully fit for the clash.
Like Rooney, several supporters might view the decision as incorrect, considering Walker has been solid, if not spectacular in his usual right-back position at the European Championship.
However, with England struggling to create high-quality chances, perhaps Gareth Southgate may feel that it is high-time that he finds a way to get Trent Alexander-Arnold into the side.
Southgate initially deployed Alexander-Arnold in a double pivot; an experiment he bid farewell to just two games into the tournament.
But at right-back, the Liverpool defender is a match-winner and one of the best in the world.
The Manchester City skipper, however, is a reliable figure at the back and due to his experience at the top level, perhaps Southgate may trust him to play out of position in a knockout fixture.
The 34-year-old will certainly have a task on his hands if he is tasked to play as a left-back against Slovakia in a high-octaine affair — a decision that could play a key role in England’s chances of going through to the next round, if indeed it is taken by Gareth Southgate.