SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Rooney defends England role after win over Slovakia

Rooney, who played his 116th international to become England's most capped outfield player ahead of David Beckham, played in the midfield position where previous manager Roy Hodgson deployed him at Euro 2016.

Rooney defends England role after win over Slovakia
(Reuters)

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

Adam Lallana scored his first international goal in the 95th minute of the Group F qualifier in new manager Sam Allardyce's first game in charge.

"Too much is getting made about it. Listen, I'm playing on the pitch for England. I'm captain of the team and I feel I can do a very good job in the role I played tonight," Rooney told Sky Sports.

"It's headlines for a lot of people, but of course it's about the team and about us winning. I played in that role and helped us win the game. I've done it my whole career and suddenly it's big news."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"It's not a big thing and I think there's a big over-reaction to it. I am happy where I'm playing and I think I'm doing a good job."

Meanwhile, midfielder Eric Dier says England will take some time to recover from their Euro 2016 humiliation despite getting back to winning ways in Trnava.

"There is a long way to go until the scars have been healed but it is a start. All we can do is win against whoever we have in front of us but I think there is a long way to go before we repay everyone for what happened in the Euros," Dier said.

"And for ourselves as well because we were the most unhappy of everyone and there is a long way to go until we are happy again."

(Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Lovell)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world