Euro 2016

Andy Cole hails "fantastic" Wayne Rooney

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 10 June 2016

Former Manchester United and England striker Andy Cole hails the way Wayne Rooney deals with the pressure on his shoulders at major international tournaments.

Former Manchester United and England striker Andy Cole has heaped praise on Wayne Rooney despite criticism of his form for club and country this season.

Rooney scored just seven Premier League goals during the 2015-16 campaign - the first time he has failed to hit double figures in 10 years at Old Trafford - while the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy have flourished elsewhere.

Despite that, Rooney is expected to start for England in their Euro 2016 opener against Russia on Saturday, and Cole hailed the way the 30-year-old deals with the pressure on his shoulders.

"I do feel Wayne deals very with all the pressure. He's been in the spotlight all his career and a lot is expected of him. However you look at it, he's not a Lionel Messi and not a Cristiano Ronaldo. He's a totally different kind of player to those guys," Cole told Man Utd's official website.

"A lot of expectations are heaped on him, especially when it comes to England. I think people at United appreciate what he does at Old Trafford but it's even more so with England as people expect England to win major tournaments.

"They think he'll be like Messi and Ronaldo and take it to everyone week in and week out, and take games by the scruff of the neck at major tournaments. It's totally different for Wayne and to see him take the stick he's taken but still bounce back and still score goals and still play football at the highest level is no mean feat. He's been fantastic."

Rooney will be bidding to become just the second England captain, after Bobby Moore, to lift a major international trophy this summer.