In the clamour to finish off Wayne Rooney, his crisp volley against France at Wembley last November has already been forgotten.
Rooney, after 109 caps and 51 goals for his country, deserves more respect than that. Much more.
Last September he scored from the spot in a 2-0 win against Switzerland to break Sir Bobby Charlton’s England record.
We have such short memories, we really do.
Injury robbed Rooney of another cap in the Olympiastadion, when a team with an average age of just 24 completed their memorable comeback against world champions Germany.
Instead, Rooney sat at home watching England on TV, tweeting once before the game to wish them “good luck” and again after they completed their stunning 3-2 win.
England head coach Roy Hodgson said: “Wayne, I repeat, is our captain. He has captained the team extremely well in these past two years.
“He has taken us through a qualifying campaign where we had complete success, with ten wins out of ten.
“It doesn’t please me too much when it is suggested that the moment he is injured and doesn’t play that he deserves to be jettisoned in some way.
“He certainly doesn’t deserve that. When he comes back and is fit again he is going to be putting enormous pressure on these players.”
Rooney will also know that the fight to get into that forward line at the Euros is certainly on after Harry Kane and substitute Jamie Vardy scored against Germany. Danny Welbeck, playing his first England game since the 4-0 win over Lithuania at Wembley in March 2015, also excelled in the first half.
Still to come, against Holland at Wembley tomorrow night, is Liverpool’s striker Daniel Sturridge.
Manchester City’s injured forward Raheem Sterling, one of Hodgson’s “five-yard furies”, is another favourite.
Throw Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into the pot, if fit, and it becomes a big problem for Hodgson. Theo Walcott, fading fast from the first-team picture at Arsenal, faces the prospect of missing out on yet another tournament.
He was ruthlessly culled by Fabio Capello in 2010 and missed the 2014 World Cup in Brazil through injury.
Whatever happens, there will be at least one big-name casualty when England’s squad for the Euros is announced.
Still, it is too soon to suggest that Rooney, a player with genuine pedigree and experience, is no longer worthy of a place. The next logical step is to morph into Francesco Totti, to dip in and out of the national team when circumstances dictate.
Totti has done it with Roma and Italy, extending his career into a third decade by listening to the advice of those around him.
Rooney has the ear of England’s head coach and his contribution to the qualifying campaign has not been forgotten.
He was England’s top scorer with seven goals and has hit 11 in 14 games since the World Cup.
Rooney’s knee injury has kept him out of this squad but he is convinced that he will be fit to play in France.
Hodgson remains one of his biggest allies and it would take something truly remarkable to dislodge him from the final 23.
The Three Lions chief added: “I was busy enjoying the fact that Welbeck came back and did well, Vardy came on and did well and Kane was excellent throughout the game.
“I will enjoy that for a minute.
“I’m pretty sure when Wayne is fit again and comes back that we can assess the situation.
“I’m not going to spend any time thinking about anything else at the moment.”
A more pressing matter is with England’s keepers after Jack Butland was taken off on a stretcher with an ankle injury just before the break.
He was slow to react to Toni Kroos’ long-range effort, which put the Germans 1-0 up. But he appeared to be suffering after making a routine clearance with his left leg. With Joe Hart also sidelined, Fraser Forster is expected to start in goal against Danny Blind’s Dutch team tomorrow.
Hodgson added: “Our goalkeepers have work to do if they are to become as good as the De Geas and Lloris’ of this world.
“In an ideal world we will build that up as well.
“The few times we have to play the ball long, and it will happen towards Harry Kane, the better it will be.
“We want our midfielders to run the game.”
The prestige friendly against Holland will also give Hodgson the chance to run his eye over Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater.
With Jack Wilshere still sidelined through injury, an unexpected opportunity could open up for Drinkwater.
The midfielder was on the sidelines for the clash with Germany but he should get a chance to make an impact against Holland.
With time running short, it will need a performance we never forget.
@Sun
