Rooney more hopeful than ever

Wayne Rooney feels England have a squad capable of matching any side for the first time in his career having won 10 out of 10 in the European Qualifiers.

England head to France for Euro 2016 in confident mood after their 100 per cent success in qualifying Group E, and are up against Russia, Slovakia and Wales in the group stage in June.

Captain Rooney scored seven goals in the qualifying campaign, including a record-breaking 50th to take him above Sir Bobby Charlton in England’s all-time goalscorer list.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports’ Nick Collins, Rooney says that while England’s versatility and quality is clear to see, consistency will be key to any success.

“I feel we’ve got a very good squad. It’s probably the first time I’ve felt the squad is capable in any given game of matching any team,” he said.

“But obviously it’s one thing having that, and another being able to do that consistently throughout a tournament.

“We’ve got players who can play anywhere across that front line. Myself, Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge can play out wide too. It’s always difficult for opponents as well.

“You never know with the players we’ve got how well they can do. We’ve had a good European Qualifiers campaign, but we need to make sure that we don’t slack, that we keep going and keep pushing forward, and give ourselves every possible chance.”

The Manchester United skipper’s best position for England is highly-debated, but Sky sources understand Rooney wants to play as a holding midfielder at Euro 2016.

Rooney has been used …

continue reading in source www.skysports.com