Former Manchester United striker, Wayne Rooney, has said England manager Gareth Southgate “killed” two players during their underwhelming group stage at Euro 2024.
The Three Lions went into the tournament looking to lift their first major trophy in men’s football since 1966.
But Southgate’s men laboured to a 1-0 win over Serbia and failed to beat Denmark and Slovenia.
Southgate has come under criticism for his tactics, with Rooney claiming he “killed” Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher by throwing them both into midfield before quickly “discarding” them.
“None of what happened in the group stage surprised me. I would never have played Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield and expected that, when the experiment didn’t work, Gareth would try Conor Gallagher.
“Gareth killed both a bit by discarding them, but in each case, it was the right call and when Mainoo came in you saw him making forward runs and showing composure on the ball.
“Palmer? He is just suited to international football. He can take the ball, he’s calm on it and has the personality you need on that stage. Gordon is more direct than the other two and ensures there is a good blend,” Rooney told the UK Times.