Wayne Rooney has stated that he has never taken his place in the England or Manchester United team for granted. With the likes of Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane firing on all cylinders, many fans have called for the England skipper to be dropped. Rooney is prepared to fight for his place however and says the competition for a starting place ‘excites’ him. Speaking as a pundit for iTV’s coverage of England vs Holland, he said:
“As I’ve said throughout my career with Manchester United and England, I never take my place for granted. Obviously you want to play, and it is great that that competition is now there.
“With the quality we have got, it is exciting to be a part of. I can’t wait to get back fit and back out there with the lads. Certainly it is something I enjoy doing and I want to keep doing. I want to keep going and get ready. First of all I want England to be successful and win trophies, and obviously it is great if I can be a part of that.
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“I believe it is an opportunity for us to do really well in the summer and obviously the decision is down to Roy Hodgson, but I want to be there, involved and trying to help and hopefully leading the team to being successful.”
“I don’t think of it in terms of needing to fight for my place. I think it is exciting.
“I think in previous tournaments, if everyone is fit, more or less the team is set. But now, no-one knows what is going to happen. The manager can play three or four teams with different combinations if he wants, because I really believe we have got that quality. So I think for the country it is going to be an exciting tournament, and it is something I’m looking forward to and hopefully I’ll be contributing goals to the team.
“Captaining my country in a major tournament would be a huge honour, and I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited and really believe we genuinely have got a chance of doing well in this tournament, so hopefully I can be the one to lead us and be successful.”
