Wayne Rooney doesn’t seem particularly bothered that Sam Allardyce is no longer England manager.
The England captain was asked on Tuesday if he has been in touch with Big Sam since the 61-year-old left his job by mutual consent after being targeted by an undercover investigation by The Daily Telegraph.
He hasn’t, not even a text message, which is fair enough as the pair didn’t exactly have a lot of time to build a relationship.
However, judging by what Rooney said ahead of England’s game against Malta, the captain hasn’t forgotten comments Allardyce made about him after his one and only game in charge last month.
Another England manager crucified… pic.twitter.com/7eMhjpJKdS
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) September 28, 2016
Rooney started behind the main striker in England’s 1-0 win over Slovakia, but could be regularly seen playing in midfield and, at times, even collecting the ball off England’s central defenders.
“This is the most decorated outfield player in England,” Allardyce said following the game.
“I think that he holds a lot more experience at international football than me as an international manager. Using his experience with a team, and playing as a team member, it’s not for me to say where he’s going to play.”
Rooney revealed yesterday how unhappy he was with these comments.
“Sam came out and said I play where I want,” the Manchester United captain said.
“I played exactly to instructions, and what was asked of me. I’ll play wherever the manager wants me. I don’t pick myself, I haven’t ever picked myself. I didn’t come in and say: ‘I want to play here or there’.”
WATCH: Wayne Rooney says Sam Allardyce apologised to him for playing him out of position for England. #SSNHQ https://t.co/LdraaMcibS
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 4, 2016
“I played where I was asked to play. That was a big misunderstanding and I seemed to get slaughtered for it. I suffered from that. I got battered in many different ways when I felt it was actually a decent performance.”
If Allardyce instructed Rooney beforehand that he had permission to drop into midfield, then the player has grounds to be annoyed with his former manager when he comes out and says Rooney was the one who decides his position.
However, Rooney’s assertion that he was “slaughtered” over allegedly picking where he plays doesn’t make a lot of sense. It was Allardyce who received criticism for appearing weak by caving to his star player’s demands.
