Dropping Rooney From England Squad Gives Young Talents A Chance To Shine

Gareth Southgate has taken a bold step by dropping the Manchester United star, and has subsequently given the new generation a chance to shine


And so the king has finally fallen. The ever-present, near-omnipotent Wayne Rooney has missed out on an England squad, despite declaring himself fit.


Gareth Southgate has never been seen as a commanding manager, a general and a leader of men. His appointment was largely greeted with apathy, too, with no headline-grabbing decisions likely to be made. Already, the trend has been bucked.

Southgate has taken the necessary step of dropping Rooney, and is the first manager to do so since his breakthrough at Euro 2004. The truth hurts for Rooney, but he has never fulfilled his potential at international level; and the Manchester United striker being awarded the captaincy only served to highlight the dearth of quality in the country’s talent pool following the 2014 World Cup.


In the two-and-a-half years that have passed since he was given the armband, England have suffered more ignominies than triumphs – especially at tournaments.

In fact, it could be argued that the best performance of Rooney’s time as captain came about when he was absent from the team.

Roy Hodgson took a new breed of talent to the imposing home of old enemies Germany – this week’s opponents, in a friendly, prior to a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania – in March of 2016, months before the European Championships, with Rooney omitted from the squad through injury.


A team blessed with the maverick talents of Dele Alli, Ross Barkley and Harry Kane subsequently thrived as England came from 2-0 down to win a pulsating encounter 3-2.

Eric Dier’s last-minute header gave the Three Lions victory, but Kane’s first goal channeled Rooney at his teenage best – a superb Cruyff turn in the box was followed by an elegant finish past Manuel Neuer, the world’s best goalkeeper.

Jamie Vardy, too, scored an audacious back-heel and all of a sudden there was life to England. More to the point, the apathy dissipated, just for an evening, and there was a community spirit to watching the Three Lions again; there was hope, where before there had only been resignation.

Its definitely time Wayne Rooney steps aside for younger talents to prove their worth and do the country well at international level