Should Rooney start?

Should Wayne Rooney start for England at Euro 2016?

It’s a subject which has been hotly debated since England – minus their captain – pulled off a remarkable 3-2 win against World Cup holders Germany in Berlin.

Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy – the Premier League’s top scorers – both got on the scoresheet on Saturday and there have been calls for boss Roy Hodgson to stick with his in-form attacking options, rather than re-introduce the currently injured Rooney at Euro 2016.

But can England really afford to leave out their all-time top scorer and leading marksman from qualifying?

We look at both sides of the argument, and ask you to decide whether the England skipper should be included in the Three Lions’ starting XI in France…

Argument against Rooney inclusion: Disrupts the flow of vibrant new England

Getting carried away about England’s chances of winning a major tournament is common place on these shores but it seemed Roy Hodgson’s side would be heading to France for Euro 2016 with relatively low expectations placed upon them as of last week. That all changed on Saturday night with victory over world champions Germany in their own backyard.

The performance in Berlin was something England supporters have not witnessed in a long time – one of attacking intensity from a young, hungry group of players. Wayne Rooney’s return from injury gives Roy Hodgson an interesting dilemma.

It seems England have better goal-scoring options right now. The Manchester United skipper has only netted more than 20 league goals twice in his entire career – Harry Kane has done so twice in the last two seasons.

Kane, the top scorer in the Premier League, surely deserves to have his goal-scoring consistency rewarded.

There were question marks over whether Kane could shake off suggestions he’d be a one-season wonder and repeat his impressive 21-goal haul from 2014/15. The 22-year-old has matched that tally with time to spare – on top of dealing with the pressure and responsibility of being Spurs’ prime frontline option.

Kane has linked up well with team-mate Dele Alli all season – the pair have combined for more goals than any other duo in the Premier League this season – and England could profit from their partnership this summer.

Jamie Vardy would also be unlucky to miss out, given his incredible form in Leicester’s fairytale rise to the top of the Premier League, and he proved his usefulness with his stunning equaliser on Saturday night.

While Rooney rightly deserves great acclaim for becoming England’s all-time top goalscorer, his record in international tournaments is far from impressive.

The 30-year-old has only managed six goals and two assists in competitive tournaments in his entire career, and four of those came in two games against Croatia and Switzerland in Euro 2004 when he was still very much England’s bright light.

Injuries have hindered Rooney’s effectiveness in several tournaments, but his goal tally remains a poor return from a man who has ostensibly been used as the focal point of the attack.

If England want to make the most of the young attacking talent that Hodgson has at his disposal, a new approach has to be adopted – pick the side on merit rather than past record. If the England boss is bold enough to do just that, the performance in Berlin may just be replicated when it matters most.

Argument for Rooney inclusion: One performance doesn’t mean England’s best should be overlooked

Harry Kane made a strong case to start up front for England at the Euros with his performance against Germany, and with Dele Alli also impressing in Berlin, Hodgson could be left with a real conundrum over what to do with Rooney.

Some perspective is needed, however. While the comeback win against Germany has been lauded, it is unlikely Joachim Low’s side would surrender such a position at a major tournament. To draw too many conclusions from the last 30 minutes of a friendly would be foolhardy.

It was still only Kane’s ninth cap, and it was his first goal for England in a starting role. For Jamie Vardy, it was a first international goal at the age of 29.

Rooney, meanwhile, was still the top scorer for Hodgson’s side in qualifying for the Euros. Four of his seven goals may have been penalties, but an England fan should never take someone who can score from 12 yards for granted.

In the Premier League, the Manchester United striker struggled for form until Christmas but showed real signs of improvement after the New Year until his injury, scoring seven times in seven games for Manchester United. He is due back next month and the enforced break may even do him some good heading into the France showpiece.

Rooney’s performances in major tournaments since Euro 2004 have underwhelmed, but few players have been more unfortunate than he has when it comes to the big stage. He was severely hampered at the World Cup in 2006, was absent for England’s fateful Euro 2008 qualifying defeat to Croatia and clearly wasn’t fit in 2010 either.

Problems at Euro 2012 were admittedly of his own making, but he still managed to score a vital winner against Ukraine. At the last World Cup Hodgson’s side scored twice, one was created by Rooney and the other scored by him.

Let’s not forget either that Rooney is England’s top goalscorer in history, netting 36 of his 51 goals in competitive internationals. They’re not the only stats in his favour.

Rooney has scored 11 goals in his 13 games as captain, was the top scorer in Euro 2016 qualifying with seven and only Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have scored more tournament goals. Under Hodgson, he has scored 23 goals in 36 games.

The man that picks the squad, Hodgson, has also backed his captain at a time when it would have been easy to jump on board with all the post-Berlin euphoria.

“It doesn’t please me too much that it is suggested now that the moment [Rooney] gets injured and doesn’t play he gets jettisoned in some way,” said the England boss.

“I have to repeat, he is our captain and he has captained the team extremely well in the last two years. He took us through a qualifying campaign where we had a complete success with 10 wins out of 10.”

Kane may be the future and Vardy the star of the season. Daniel Sturridge may even score a couple against the Netherlands on Tuesday night and make a case of his own. But one friendly win in Germany is no reason to – in borrowing a word from Hodgson –  ‘jettison’ the leader of the side and a player who has carried the weight of the Three Lions on his shoulders since the age of 18.

Source:Skysports