Exclusive: Rooney hails England as ‘one of the strongest’ teams at Euro 2024 despite midfield worry

Rio Ferdinand predicted that England “gets to the final” of Euro 2024, while Wayne Rooney claimed “we’ve got one of the strongest squads.”

England manager Gareth Southgate took England to the final of the tournament in 2020, losing to Italy on penalties at Wembley Stadium.

The side were knocked out pf the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the quarter-finals by a France side who went on to lose in the final against Argentina.

Speaking on TNT Sports, Ferdinand, Rooney and Joleon Lescott were presented with a list of Jordan Pickford, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka – with each of them choosing to add Marcus Rashford as the 11th man.

Discussing the first 10, former Manchester United and England defender Ferdinand stated: “That team gets to the final.”

Rooney was more circumspect. He noted that England’s two exceptional talents of Foden and Bellingham made the midfield the best part of the team, but thought their attacking verve could leave Rice exposed behind them.

He explained: “It depends who you’re playing, because I’d be very concerned wiht that midfield against a top team. I just think it’s too open. It’s the best part, but also it can get exposed as well.

“You look at Phil Foden, you look at Jude Bellingham, they’re players who play with a freedom so like we see with Casemiro, you leave Declan Rice on his own. Against a top team, you’d get exposed.”

Ferdinand countered by saying some of that problem could be fixed by keeping the ball away from the opposition and playing to the side’s own strengths.

“They’d just keep the ball,” he replied. “I’m thinking about us just having the ball. Forget them – I’m not thinking about the opposition.

“I want John Stones stepping in, and Kyle Walker coming across when we’ve got possession. That’s what I’d do.”

Lescott added: “I think that’s the strongest part, the midfield.”

Rooney concluded: “I think we’ve got one of the strongest squads, being close on the last couple of tournaments hopefully we can go that one step further.

“It’s going to be difficult, some very good teams, but we’ve got a chance to win something with England.”

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