Wayne Rooney has now written about the difference between Arsenal No.41 Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson.
The Ajax No.6 has missed out on a major tournament with England for the first time since the 2010 World Cup – when he was just 20 years of age – after Gareth Southgate decided to overlook him.
Amid something of a crisis in midfield for the Three Lions, with Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold struggling to click in the opening two games of UEFA EURO 2024, Wayne Rooney has now discussed what Jordan Henderson brought to the side that the £105m Arsenal man does not…
Wayne Rooney makes comment about Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson
The 38-year-old has now claimed that Rice is “not to the same level” as Henderson on the pitch in terms of communication.
Writing in The Times, Rooney stated: “Having played with Henderson, I can tell you he’s very loud and excellent at organising the pressing. Rice is quite vocal but not to the same level.”
Of course, it is not entirely up to the 25-year-old to orchestrate England’s pressing and dictate where teammates move, but somebody needs to take this team by the scruff of the neck out on the pitch.
During Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Denmark, every England player seemed well and truly lost, with a distinct lack of cohesion when it came to pressing the Danes.
Alan Shearer even made a remark about how pointless it was for England to go hunting in ones and twos, rather than press all together as a unit.
Arsenal No.41 can step up
In our view, Rice should view these comments as a challenge rather than criticism.
Arsenal’s record signing now boasts 53 caps for England and has also previously captained the Three Lions, so amid a time where Southgate doesn’t really appear to have any visible leaders out on the pitch, the man from Kingston upon Thames should take it upon himself to shake things up a bit.
Having said that, no single player can transform the way England play, so it must be a team effort.
Nevertheless, Rice seemingly has the personality to step up and be the man to trigger a change in this England team, so hopefully, he relishes the chance to make a difference.
