O técnico Roy Hodgson pretende utilizar Rooney como um atacante aberto pelo lado esquerdo em amistoso contra o Equador, nesta quarta-feira, em Miami. O treinador elogiou a versatilidade do jogador do Manchester United, que em seu clube costuma jogar como segundo atacante, mais recuado em relação ao holandês Van Persie.
“Ele pode jogar nessa posição, absolutamente. Acho que Rooney é um jogador muito útil no sentido de que não precisamos fixá-lo e dizer que ele só pode fazer uma função. Ele pode jogar de centroavante, atrás do centroavante e aberto pelos lados. Se ele já atuou dessas formas no mais alto nível pelo Manchester, não há razão para que não possamos fazer o mesmo”, afirmou o treinador.
Hodgson preferiu fugir de discussão quanto ao papel de Rooney na seleção, uma vez que o jogador é bastante criticado pela imprensa e pela torcida por não render tanto quanto em seu clube. “Chamam-no de excepcional e depois do último jogo eu entendo que o avaliem abaixo disso. Criticaram o desempenho dele, a análise é de cada um. Não digo que ele é excepcional ou não, eu o convoquei porque ele é um ótimo jogador”, argumentou o técnico.
Voltando a jogar após um mês inativo por causa de uma lesão na virilha, Rooney foi titular e jogou 66 minutos na vitória da Inglaterra sobre Peru por 3 a 0, em Wembley, na última sexta-feira. “Acho que ele está recuperando o ritmo de jogo. Achamos que começar com ele amanhã vai ser vantajoso para que ele atue parte do jogo e para nós vermos como seu desempenho físico evoluiu”, comentou Hodgson.
(20:35:07) Afrede: E3426—–
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^Wayne Rooney to start WCup warm-up match<
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^Eds: Updates throughout with details, quotes. With AP Photos.<
^By ROB HARRIS=
^AP Sports Writer=
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida (AP) _ Struggling up front for England, Wayne Rooney is
set to be shunted to the left wing as coach Roy Hodgson experiments ahead of
the World Cup in the team’s penultimate warm-up game.
He underwhelmed against Ecuador in Miami Gardens on Wednesday, as he did in
Friday’s 3-0 victory over Peru at Wembley Stadium, and there will be rising
reservations about Rooney’s right to start in Brazil. The Manchester United
striker has now gone four matches without scoring for England, although he was
returning from a month out with a groin injury against Peru.
Now is Rooney’s chance to show his versatility, even if it is out on the left
flank where he complained previously he can’t express himself as much, with
Rickie Lambert in line to lead the attack.
“He can do that (role), absolutely,” Hodgson said Tuesday at the Sun Life
Stadium where England plays Ecuador. “I think Wayne’s a very useful player in
the sense you don’t have to pin him down and say this is the only position he
can play.
“He can play center forward, behind the center forward and wide. If he’s done
all of those things at the very top level for Manchester United, there is no
reason why I can’t use him in those positions as well.”
Hodgson is growing increasingly exacerbated about the level of scrutiny Rooney
is under. It’s little surprise though when Rooney, who can be so explosive for
Manchester United where he earns more than $400,000 a week, too often
disappoints on international duty. Particularly at World Cups where Rooney
failed to score at the 2006 and 2010 tournaments.
“You decide the epithets,” Hodgson said in a tetchy exchange with reporters.
“You make him exceptional or, after the last game I understand, quite a few
people made him less than exceptional. They criticized his performance. That’s
your decision … I’m not saying if he’s exceptional or not. I have picked him
because he is a very good player.”
Needing to prove his sharpness, Rooney is set to be the only player retained
from the Peru game when England was far from convincing against a team that
didn’t qualify for the World Cup.
“We think that he’s recovering his match fitness,” Hodgson said. “We think
that starting a game will be to his advantage to play a part tomorrow, and
we’ll see how long he plays and that will be based on how we think his fitness
is progressing.”
In front of a likely crowd of 20,000 at the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins,
Frank Lampard will take over the captain’s armband from Steven Gerrard as the
Liverpool midfielder is rested from the starting lineup.
Jack Wilshere, who recently returned after breaking his right foot, is set to
start alongside Lampard in midfield. Ross Barkley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
are also in line to play.
The team features back-up goalkeeper Ben Foster with Chris Smalling and Phil
Jones likely to be in central defense, Luke Shaw earning his second cap at
left back and midfielder James Milner being tested at right back as cover for
Glen Johnson.
“He’s got the qualities to play there,” Hodgson said of Manchester City’s
Milner. “There may be moments in the World Cup where we’d like to use him
there. This will give him some experience.”
___
Rob Harris can be followed at www.twitter.com/RobHarris
AP-WF-06-03-14 2316GMT<