Wayne Rooney has urged Gareth Southgate to make three changes for England’s final World Cup group game against Wales and has rated the Three Lions’ chances of lifting the trophy in Qatar.
England thrashed Iran 6-2 in their first match of the tournament but was brought back down to earth on Friday night when they failed to beat the United States.
Southgate’s team remains favorites to win Group B – anything less than a three-goal defeat guarantees England’s place in the next round – but the manner of the USA stalemate has raised questions about their World Cup credentials.
Rooney, England’s all-time leading goalscorer, believes England has a “good chance” of winning the World Cup but has urged Southgate to make changes for their match against Wales on Tuesday night.
Former Manchester United striker believes Three Lions captain Harry Kane should be rested ahead of a crucial last-16 match against Chelsea.
This would allow Manchester City’s Phil Foden to make his first start of the tournament after several pundits questioned his absence against the USA.
Rooney stated in a column for The Times that England’s performance on Friday was not great and that they will need to play much better to have a chance of winning this World Cup.
Gareth Southgate needs to make changes for Tuesday’s game against Wales, and given that failure to qualify would be a near-miracle, it’s the ideal opportunity for him to give minutes to players who haven’t seen much action so far.
Phil Foden is at the top of the list. He thought it was odd that Foden didn’t come on as a substitute against the USA. If he were England’s manager, he’d be a key member of my starting lineup. Technically, he is England’s best player.
He believes that if you have a talent like Foden, you must play him. He is no longer the player we saw at Euro 2020, where he struggled to make an impact.
He is more mature and came into this tournament after a string of outstanding performances for Manchester City. He has the physique to match his talent.
