Wayne Rooney has claimed that England missed Harry Maguire in their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Iceland on Friday night.
Maguire, who has 63 caps, wasn’t included in Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man squad for Euro 2024 – which starts next Friday – due to a calf injury.
Rooney stated that England’s back line was ‘disjointed’ at Wembley and expressed his belief that Manchester United defender Maguire could have made a major difference if fit.
Speaking on Channel 4, Rooney said: ‘Tonight the back line were a little bit disjointed at times, and that’s through lack of experience.
‘That’s something I’m sure Gareth and the coaches will be showing them, you have to get that right because we’re so excited by the attacking players we’ve got, they have to be backed up by the back line and being aggressive.
‘I think tonight actually shows the importance of Harry Maguire to this England team and what a big loss he is to this squad.’
Maguire has previously received criticism for his performances, especially at club level, but has often been a hugely important player for Southgate.
John Stones started alongside Marc Guehi against Iceland but the Manchester City centre-back had to be substituted at half time due to an injury scare, with Ezri Konsa replacing him.
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England can also call upon Joe Gomez but there are concerns about the Three Lions’ options at centre-back, especially with Jarrad Branthwaite having also been left out of the final squad.
Rooney also lamented the fact that England didn’t move the ball quickly enough to find players such as Anthony Gordon.
He said: ‘England didn’t move the ball quickly enough from side to side to get players like Anthony Gordon one-v-one enough. The result is not the most important thing tonight, it’s about players getting experience. They have to learn from tonight’s game.’
Despite the defeat, Rooney remained confident that England have a chance of winning Euro 2024.
He said: ‘It’s a very exciting squad, they’ve certainly got the players and the firepower. I hope the backline is strong, that’s my only concern. But I think we’ve got more than enough to go and take teams head on and if we do that we’ve got a great chance.’
Meanwhile, Joe Cole backed England to perform significantly better when the real action gets underway.
Cole said: ‘I know there were a few boos after the game, this team is used to giving us performances and wins. But go away, have a few days with your family and the tournament starts when you get on that plane.
‘There’s a few things to brush up on, but overall we’re ready and we’re going to be OK.
‘It’s disappointing but you have to give the players a bit of leeway. They’ll be ready. This team has shown that in previous tournaments, so we have to trust them and believe in them.’