Win over Wales confirms Wayne Rooney's squad confidence

Friday 17 Jun 2016
Daniel Sturridge is mobbed after his late winner over Wales

Wayne Rooney is certain England have a strong enough squad to compete with anyone at Euro 2016, following the thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Wales on Thursday.

Roy Hodgson’s side trailed at half-time to Gareth Bale’s long-range free-kick, but three second-half substitutions paved the way for the Three Lions to claim victory.

Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy replaced Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling at the break – and they scored the goals that moved England to the top of Group B.

Vardy equalised on 56 minutes while Sturridge scored a dramatic winner in added time.

Daniel Sturridge celebrates his late winner against Wales

Sturridge celebrates his late winner

Rooney said: “We know as a group of players we’re not just an 11-man team.

“We’ve got 23 players in our squad who are all capable and confident to trust each other that whoever’s playing will do a good job.

“I think it showed what a good squad we’ve got, with some very exciting young players.”

Hodgson’s third change brought Marcus Rashford off the bench in place of Adam Lallana for his tournament debut, and the forward immediately looked at home on the big stage.

At 18 years, 228 days, Rashford became England’s youngest player to appear in a major tournament, surpassing a record previously held by his Manchester United team-mate Rooney.

Marcus Rashford receives last-minute instructions from Roy Hodgson

Rashford receives last-minute instructions from Roy Hodgson

And the United and England skipper said: “I’m sure he’s delighted. I’m really pleased for him.

“It was just over 100 days ago he made his debut for Manchester United and he’s now playing on the biggest stage for England so we’re all pleased for him.”

England’s final group match is against Slovakia on Monday night and a positive result will allow them to seal top spot in the group.

Rooney added: “We played some great stuff [against Wales] and it was a great feeling to win the game the way we did and that has almost qualified us now.

“We’ve got one game left which we need to play and finish the job off. We can finish top of the group.”

By FA Staff