Roy Hodgson is generally a pretty placid bloke, but the England boss reportedly reacted angrily to talk of an alleged feud between Three Lions teammates Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy this week.
According to ITV Sport, Hodgson’s relaxed mood darkened when a German broadcaster tried to quiz Rooney about newspaper claims that the Manchester United skipper had spoken to Vardy about his wife Rebekah.
It had been suggested that Rooney has warned Vardy that his partner’s growing profile at the tournament was getting too big, following a series of tweets by the Leicester City WAG.
SEE ALSO:
Jamie Vardy girlfriend: SIX photos of Leicester legend’s WAG
Jamie Vardy wages: Six-figure sum which convinced Leicester striker to snub Arsenal revealed
Jamie Vardy’s WAG hits back at ‘pathetic’ Twitter trolls over striker’s Arsenal move
However, Hodgson objected to the question, scoffing at the original story, which he said was “salacious” and had been ‘spun’.
Hodgson quotes on apparent Rooney-Vardy row
“I’ll answer for Wayne,” Hodgson interjected, as quoted by ITV. “I haven’t a clue what you are referring to. There are absolutely no problems in football terms between Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy, quite the reverse… they are very close friends on and off the field.
“I would certainly advise Wayne to give no comment. It’s obviously one salacious story someone has managed to spin.”
Rooney is expected to captain England from the start of Monday’s last-16 game against Iceland, with The Times suggesting he will replace Jack Wilshere in midfield.
The British broadsheet understands that Hodgson will pretty much revert to the XI which started against Russia and Wales, although Daniel Sturridge is tipped to take Raheem Sterling’s place in attack.
SEE MORE:
England XI v Iceland – Liverpool star will defy injury to start as Hodgson makes five changes
Daniel Sturridge ITV interview – Reporter dares to question Liverpool star’s sanity
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news: Bayern Munich show interest in Owen Hargreaves II