Wayne Rooney is not one to shy away from responsibility.
After England’s shock 2-1 defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016, it would have been understandable for every player in Roy Hodgson’s squad to hang their heads in disappointment.
And most of them did.
But it’s in moments like those when captains prove their worth and that’s precisely what Rooney did when he returned to the dressing room.
Rooney had been there and done it before, and realised that he had to say something to the younger members of the England side because a humiliating defeat like that could have left a huge dent in their confidence for future major tournaments.
One such youngster, Marcus Rashford, had replaced his Manchester United teammate with five minutes remaining and was one of few Englishmen who appeared to pose a threat as they chased the game.
But the comeback wasn’t on and England were sent crashing out at the round of 16 stage but Rashford has since revealed what Rooney said after the game.
Writing in the Players’ Tribune, Rashford explained how Rooney dealt with the heartbroken players who needed an arm around their shoulders.
“When we were knocked out by Iceland at Euros, it was a massive disappointment,” Rashford explained. “We were all sitting around in the dressing room after the match, not sure what to think. But then Wayne gets up. And he says one thing – ‘Keep your head up. We’ve got a lot to fight for in the future.’
“But he says it to each individual person. One by one, he goes up to us and looks us in the eye – ‘Keep your head up. Look forward.’
“So that’s where we are now. Our heads are up and we’re fighting for the future. I know I’m young — the whole squad is quite young — but we want to make history in the time we’ve got. We know that when people look back on our team, it’s the trophies that they are going to judge us on.”
