“It would be nice if we could start with that on Monday”.
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Many have been surprised by Rooney’s lack of game time and Hodgson’s decision to utilise England’s all-time leading goalscorer in midfield given their struggle for goals.
“I haven’t played on the same stage as the boys who are playing for England but I have been around the lower leagues in England and it just makes it even more sweet for me having lived in England and I appreciate it. The way we’ve played in the recent games, it’ll be interesting and I believe we will come out on top”.
“We were the favourites to win the group, deservedly favourites I think, and obviously believe we did enough to win the group”. “But we don’t want to win the group necessarily because it’s Paris and closer to our base camp”.
He added: “Results are of course what matters and if you don’t get the results you’ve got to be very disappointed and very unhappy, especially at tournament level”.
Iceland’s joint manager Heimir Hallgrimsson faced the press after his side’s victory and immediately found his attention turned towards England.
The England captain admitted that in the past he would have been concerned to be pitted against teams such as Spain, France, Germany and Italy – all of whom are now in England’s half of the draw – in the knockout stages. I think it is important to be patient. “They rotated a lot so it’s going to be another fight”.
“We always do (fancy our chances), we have come up against some good teams in the past and we have come out victorious”, he said. People are going to be very critical of the performance because we didn’t win. “We’ve got an exciting group of players, and I’m sure everyone else in that side of the draw will have been looking at us rather than us looking at them”.
Rooney is set to be restored to the team against Iceland after being on the bench against Slovakia, meaning he will make his 115th worldwide appearance – tying David Beckham’s record for an outfield player for England. Hodgson revealed Beckham, who amassed 115 caps, is in regular contact with the squad and he backed Rooney to break goalkeeper Peter Shilton’s overall record of 125.
“Whatever corner I’m going for I tell the keeper, so it makes it more hard for me”, he said.
“For me at this tournament it’s a new chapter, a new position”.
“You see, the French, Spanish and Germans who are always there, but is there one team that is going to run away with it?”
Captain Wayne Rooney has dismissed fears that England have landed in the wrong side of the Euro 2016 draw, insisting that Spain, Germany and France will be anxious about facing the Three Lions.
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“It’s going to be a good moment because I’m a Man United fan so there you go”, Gunnarsson said with a smile.
