Judging by their start in UEFA Euro 2024, it’s evident that England is not what they are projected to be. Despite boasting one of the best squads in the tournament, Gareth Southgate‘s side struggled against Denmark and Serbia. As such, questions have already been raised at the manager with a focus on his midfield selections. According to Southgate, the absence of Kalvin Phillips is a major contributor to the issues in the middle of the park. But Wayne Rooney reckons that it is not Phillips but another English midfielder who the team badly misses.

Speaking on the BBC Euro segment, Rooney hinted that Gareth Southgate should have chosen Jordan Henderson for the tournament. The English icon explained, “I would have taken him (Henderson) because they haven’t got that experience in the middle of the pitch. But, he’s also a voice.” Rooney does have a point since Trent, the most experienced midfielder is just 25. Being the former Liverpool captain, Henderson’s leadership skills would have benefitted England as per Rooney.

Speaking of leadership, Rooney did not seem greatly impressed with Gareth Southgate’s current captain, Harry Kane. The former Manchester United star said, “Harry is not the most vocal. He doesn’t speak as much as he probably should.” It seems that Rooney prefers more aggressive leadership, something Henderson would have offered.

Regarding the midfield, Wayne Rooney admitted previously that he was not a fan of Trent Arnold in there. The legendary attacker added that while Trent is a ‘gifted’ player, he is not great defensively. Yet, why is Gareth Southgate insisting on playing a full-back there when he has other midfield options? This again stems from Kalvin Phillips.

Explained: Gareth Southgate’s logic behind playing Trent in the unfamiliar midfield position

As Euro 2024 started, the expectation was that TAA would have competed with Kyle Walker for the right-back role. Surprising everyone, Gareth Southgate named the Liverpool star as the partner to Declan Rice. But, the English tactician recently revealed that this was a change forced upon him.

The manager explained, “He[Alexander-Arnold] has had some moments where he’s delivered what we thought he would. We know it’s an experiment. We don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips.”

The other options at Gareth Southgate’s disposal include the likes of Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo, and Adam Wharton. Palmer, who had an exceptional season is an attacking-minded playmaker. The likes of Wharton and Mainoo are quite young and lack experience at the top level. Hence, it is understandable why Gareth Southgate feels TAA is the next best option to replace Philipps. Unfortunately, it is an experiment that has yet to deliver the expected results.