Euro 2012: Wayne Rooney ready to walk the walk for England

Published on 18/06/2012 00:00

wayne Rooney has spoken of his delight and excitement at being available for England duty again and is hoping to get the chance to “shine” as Roy Hodgson’s men look to secure a Euro 2012 quarter-final berth against Ukraine tomorrow.

Rooney sat out England’s opening two matches in Group D through suspension but is now clear to play and head coach Hodgson is set to draft the Manchester United striker straight back into the side for the vital game with Ukraine.

England are currently second in Group D, on four points from their opening two games against France and Sweden.

They are level with group leaders France, while tournament co-hosts Ukraine have three points. A draw in the match at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk would guarantee England a spot in the last eight.

Rooney said: “Obviously I’m delighted to be back part of the team and the squad and to be involved again.”

“The lads have done great to put us in the position we are in now and, hopefully, I’ll get a chance to play and try and shine and help us get through the group.”

Rooney also insists he is fit and ready to go, despite not having had much competitive action recently, adding: “Since I’ve joined up with the squad I’ve taken part in every training session. I’m feeling good. I’m just feeling ready and excited to get out on to the pitch.”

The return of Rooney is a major boost to England, with the 26-year-old comfortably the squad’s leading scorer at international level with 28 goals in 74 appearances.

However, England have not done too badly without their star striker, with four goals from their opening two games leaving them among the highest scorers in the tournament so far.

Defender Joleon Lescott netted in England’s 1-1 draw with France and then forward trio Andy Carroll, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck were all on the scoresheet in Friday’s 3-2 win over Sweden.

“It’s great for the team that we’ve got forwards scoring goals and the forwards have done well in the games,” said Rooney. “It’s great for me as well. It’s great competition. You know you need to be at your best to get into the team and stay in the team, so I think it’s great for the whole team.”

England’s good start to the tournament means there is likely to be less pressure on Rooney ahead of his return, although the forward was quick to point out that the national side are no one-man team.

He added: “I don’t put that pressure on myself. There’s 23 players in the squad and there is pressure on us all.

“It’s great that we’ve scored a few goals and we’ve got the points that we’ve got. I’m not going to win the Euros on my own.

“There are 23 players who are going to chip in and help us win the tournament or go as far as we can.”

A point tomorrow would be enough to send England through to the next phase, but Rooney insists they will go out aiming for the victory. He said: “The same as the first two games, we’ll go into the game wanting to win.

“If we have to take a point then we’ll happily do that, but we’re going into the game trying to get the three points.”

And Rooney dismissed fears he would be a red-card risk in the crunch clash.

Rooney was banned after being sent off for kicking Montenegro’s Miodrag Dzudovic during England’s final Euro 2012 qualifier in October.

The former Everton star has a chequered disciplinary record down the years and was red-carded at the 2006 World Cup.

He also lost his temper with England fans during a poor 2010 tournament and, with a hostile atmosphere expected in Donetsk on Tuesday, some have suggested recalling him would be something of a gamble.

However, Rooney has picked up just one yellow card for club and country since October’s moment of madness and has only been booked twice all season.

Asked if he needed to channel his aggression in the right way on Tuesday, he said: “I think I have done all season.

“What happened [in Montenegro] was a mistake. I understood that and apologised to the guy. I’ve paid the price. I’ve had to take it.

“And I have no problems with my attitude or my temperament. I’m happy and I’m ready to play.”

Rooney admitted he feared his suspension – which was originally three matches before a Football Association appeal reduced it to two – would cost him his place in England’s Euro 2012 squad.

“Of course,” he said. “Certainly, when it was a three-game ban, I thought I probably wouldn’t be here.”

Tuesday’s match is effectively an away game for England and, with their opponents needing to win to avoid an early exit, the heat will be on.

“It’ll be a big challenge,” Rooney said. “They’ll obviously have the majority of the support and the majority of the fans in the stadium. We’ve been in this situation before.

“We’ve been to a lot of stadiums around Europe and around the world, and we’ve had to deal with this atmosphere on a lot of occasions.

“If you look at Turkey away nine or ten years ago, it was as hostile as you’re going to get.

“So we understand there’s going to be a big atmosphere and it’s something we have to deal with.

“We’re big enough and experienced enough to deal with it.”