Former England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has addressed midfielder Jude Bellingham’s comments and admitted some Three Lions players may be unhappy.
Wayne Rooney reacts to Jude Bellingham’s comments about England squad (Image: BBC Sport)
Wayne Rooney believes Jude Bellingham’s comments about the lack of cohesion with the England squad in past major competitions highlight the fact that Thomas Tuchel had work to do after taking over from Gareth Southgate.
Tuchel has sought to introduce a club-style mentality into the Three Lions camp, bringing in players such as veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson and Newcastle United centre-back Dan Byrne to restore leadership behind the scenes. Bellingham addressed the lack of connection with Rooney at Euro 2024, admitting some squad members were far from happy.
Presenter Gabby Logan told Rooney: “Jude Bellingham said something interesting today, that maybe things are not quite as connected, perhaps not as connected as they could have been at Euro 2024. “What’s interesting is that seems to have been Gareth’s USP, to have that culture. How difficult is it going to be to keep 26 players happy?”
Rooney was part of England’s golden generation in 2006, when there were widespread accusations that Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea players were not seeing eye to eye. At the time, there were repeated suggestions that Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard could not play together in midfield.
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Rooney said: “It’s very difficult but I think it really shows because in the last two tournaments we thought everything was very close with the England team and all the messages were going out that the England team were a very close group.”
“So maybe Thomas Tuchel dug into that and looked at it and said, ‘You know, whether we lose or draw, we need a team that’s always connected and can always come together.’
“We’re going to bring the team together here, which may not have been the case[in the past]but it’s almost impossible to satisfy 26 players. I think we’re going to get players who aren’t happy.”
“At the Euros there were a few things that went a little bit wrong off the pitch. I feel like the group didn’t connect as well as I would have liked for a number of reasons,” Bellingham told England’s Lion’s Den program.
Jude Bellingham says there were problems in England’s camp at Euro 2024 (Image: Rich Storey, Getty Images)
Expectations were part of it. We did well in 2018, we did well in Qatar (in preparation for the 2022 World Cup) and when it came to that tournament, we were considered one of the two or three teams to win. We weren’t playing particularly well, so even though we were winning, we didn’t feel as happy as we should have.
“There’s definitely an element of wanting to win ruthlessly, but it’s the nature of football that wins quickly go out of the system and we need to hold on to those moments a little bit more.
“I think we’ve had that experience this time around…and we also know that, for example, the player who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final is not necessarily the player who’s going to put his house on the line, so you always have to be prepared and everyone has to feel loved and a big part of the team. Now it’s just about having fun.”
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