Wayne Rooney announced his England retirement two years early this week, and part of the Sunday Supplement panel have labelled it “ridiculous”.
The 30-year-old revealed in a press conference earlier this week that he would call time on his England career after the 2018 World Cup.
After negative speculation over his future with Sam Allardyce’s men, the fact that he’s also held onto the captaincy, it’s expected that he will continue to play a key role for the Three Lions in the next two years.
David Beckham has leapt to his defence over the matter and insisted that Rooney should retire when he feels it’s the right time, with critics suggesting that he should have done so after Euro 2016.
However, the Sunday Supplement panel, namely Patrick Barclay, has revealed his opinion that it was “ridiculous” to state his intentions with no certainty he will continue being selected or that England will qualify for the tournament.
“I think it was a ridiculous thing to say. I mean, it took an awful lot for granted,” he noted, as reported by Sky Sports. “Given the wild form swings that we’ve seen from him in the last two years, who’s to say he’ll be in the team? Who’s to say England will qualify [for Russia]?
“Of course, we expect them to given the qualifying record, but to come out and imply that England are going to Russia… I don’t think you have to say anything. That is a conversation for your wife and for your family. I don’t think it’s a conversation to chuck out at us. It was careless.”
Time will tell as to whether or not Allardyce continues to select Rooney, but it’s evident that opinion is not only split on his England future but also the manner of his retirement announcement.