Wayne Rooney has named his three ‘favourites’ to win Euro 2024 and revealed his ‘worry’ for England.
The European Championships kick-off on Friday night with hosts Germany taking on Group A rivals Scotland at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
The likes of Spain, Italy and Croatia are in action on Saturday, before Gareth Southgate’s England kick-start their Euros campaign on Sunday night against Serbia.
Much is expected of the Three Lions following enjoyable but ultimately disappointing runs at the last three major tournaments.
At the 2018 World Cup – Southgate’s first tournament in charge – England made a surprising run to the semi-finals before losing to eventual runners-up Croatia.
The Three Lions went one better at Euro 2020, reaching the Wembley final only to suffer a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to current European champions Italy.
England impressed at the last World Cup in Qatar until meeting France in the quarter-finals and once again falling short in their quest to win a first major trophy since 1966.
Despite their failure to win any silverware in 58 years, England are one of the three standout teams at Euro 2024, according to Rooney.
‘For me, three teams stand above the rest as favourites at Euro 2024,’ he told The Times. ‘They are France, Portugal… and England.
‘It’s a huge tournament for Gareth Southgate and his senior players, and Gareth is right to say that the job is all about winning now.’
Despite rating England as one of the three ‘favourites’ to win the Euros, Rooney is ‘worried’ about the team’s lack of experience.
Southgate opted not to take England regulars Marcus Rashford or Jordan Henderson to Germany, while Harry Maguire – a key player in the team since 2018 – has been ruled out through injury.
‘I worry about lack of experience,’ added Rooney, one of England’s greatest players, who won 120 caps and scored 53 goals for his country. ‘The squad is not as good as the one that came so close at Euro 2020.
‘It has a lot of really good individual players, but is not as balanced in terms of the mix between senior guys and those new to the international scene.
‘It’s not Gareth’s fault. Injuries and people losing form have taken important players such as Harry Maguire, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford out of the equation, and Gareth has picked from what’s in front of him.
‘He has gone with talent, choosing a group he hopes will go out and grab the tournament. Sometimes that works and sometimes it backfires, but given who is available, I think it’s the right approach.
‘I would only question a couple of decisions, and one was not taking Jordan Henderson.
‘Even if he was not going to start games, I would have had him there for his personality and know-how, his ability to speak to the young lads and be that reassuring presence that certain players in a group need sometimes.’
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