Wayne Rooney is of the opinion that England manager Roy Hodgson should continue despite the team failing to even progress past the group stages of the competition. There has been speculation that Hodgson will step down from his post after a disastrous World Cup campaign, but the English FA recently confirmed that they have no plans to sack the former Liverpool manager. Hodgson has a contract with the national team until Euro 2016. He is set to stay on until then. Rooney, who has been a major player for the national team in the last decade, says that Hodgson should continue.

Rooney came in for a lot of criticism for his failure to deliver at the international stage. Despite having scored 40 goals – including the equaliser against Uruguay, the Manchester United forward has not delivered in World Cup competitions. The goal against Uruguay provided him with some respite from the criticism, but even then his record of just one goal in nine matches is extremely poor. In his defence, Hodgson has largely employed Rooney on the left side of midfield. At Manchester United, he has played in a number of positions. However, the player has stated that he wants to play just behind the striker.

It remains to be seen if Rooney will be part of the next World Cup in Russia. The striker is set to be rested for the match against Croatia. “Make no doubt about it Roy is the man to take us forward. He has put a great enthusiasm in the team, a great set of young players, exciting players in place. He has, in my opinion, changed the way we have played over the last couple of years and I know the results have been disappointing in the last two games, but as a team we can feel we are getting better,” said Rooney.