Wayne Rooney tips England among four Euro 2020 contenders as he reveals his tournament favourite
Wayne Rooney also tipped England’s Jack Grealish to be “one of the players of the tournament”
(Getty Images)England are one of four teams at Euro 2020 that “stand above the rest”, according to Wayne Rooney, but the former Manchester United striker has named France as his favourites to win the tournament this summer.
Gareth Southgate’s side get their campaign underway against Croatia at Wembley on Sunday and will play all three of the group fixtures in front of home fans at the national stadium, which will also host the tournament’s semi-finals and final.
Former England captain Rooney admitted he was “a little gutted” at having missed out on playing in a international tournament on home soil during his illustrious career and has called playing at Wembley a “huge advantage” for the Three Lions.
“England are among a group of four teams that stand above the rest in terms of prospects at Euro 2020,” Rooney wrote in his column for The Times.
“Portugal and Belgium are in there too, but my clear favourites are France.
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“Kylian Mbappe, N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane, Hugo Lloris: you look at their quality, experience and track record as world champions and realise that if their players turn up, they will win the tournament, no problem.
“They are not just a collection of great talents. On the pitch, as we saw in Russia in 2018, France are very much a team and unity gets stronger when you win things together.
“I just cannot imagine any one of Didier Deschamps’ players thinking, ‘I’m going to be the star to win the tournament for us.’ They will take their time, be composed, and try to do it together.
“That may be what separates France from Belgium and England. At a certain stage the latter two will have players thinking they need to be a hero, which could cost them.”
Rooney named N’Golo Kante as France’s key man, hailing the Chelsea midfielder as the “ultimate team player”, but was also full of praise for Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish and backed both to play an important part in England’s tournament.
“When you watch Jude Bellingham play, it’s hard to believe he is nine months younger than I was at Euro 2004,” he added. “He could shine at Euro 2020. I don’t think the tournament will faze him.
“But the player I’m most looking forward to watching is Jack Grealish. One difference between the present England team and some of those I played for is that is contains a number of players who are willing to demand the ball and receive it in tight areas. Grealish is at the forefront of those.
“He has it in him to be one of the players of the tournament.”
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