England coach Roy Hodgson claims Wayne Rooney “will do everything he can” to ensure he is at his very best at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
The Manchester United striker has endured a disappointing time at his two previous tournaments as his goalless 2006 campaign in Germany ended with a red card against Portugal, while he also failed to find the net in South Africa four years ago.
Rooney, who missed United’s final three games of the Premier League season because of a slight groin problem, had been working hard to get back to full fitness in time for meeting up with Hodgson’s 23-man squad in Portugal this week.
Hodgson has subsequently been pleased with the 28-year-old and highlighted his commitment to England’s cause when revealing that he was unhappy to sit out of a training session to avoid aggravating his thigh.
And looking ahead to next month’s tournament, he insisted that Rooney was determined to show the watching world his true capabilities.
“He knows what a good player he is,” said Hodgson. “He knows the eyes, certainly of England, if not the rest of the world, are going to be on him and he’ll do everything he can to make certain he brings out his best qualities.
“He spent his week off here in Portugal and he trained. He said to me, ‘When you arrive on Monday, I want to be 100 per cent ready from the first day’.”
Rooney is 41.00 to finish top goalscorer in the World Cup, while England are 6.00 to reach the quarter-finals.
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