Saturday 2 January 2016 11:49, UK
Steven Gerrard believes Wayne Rooney should be backed as England's talisman at Euro 2016 despite his struggling season with Manchester United.
Rooney, who succeeded Gerrard as England skipper in 2014, has recently admitted he is fighting to recapture his best form, while his team have been knocked out of the Champions League group stage and drop out of the Premier League's top-four.
Meanwhile a number of other English strikers have gone from strength-to-strength this term, with Leicester's Jamie Vardy breaking a top-flight scoring record, Everton's Ross Barkley noticeably improving and Harry Kane continuing to score goals for Tottenham.
But Gerrard insists he would still pick Rooney over any of them when the tournament comes around in France.
"Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane are doing well but, in a big game, who is England's best chance of scoring?" Gerrard questioned in the Daily Mail.
"Does anyone think it is not Wayne Rooney? If there is a penalty in the last 10 minutes to progress out of a group or into a quarter-final, who would you want to take it?
"Who does everyone in the dressing room at Manchester United and England look to for inspiration? Who are they all hiding behind, pressure-wise, when it isn't going well?
"Wayne Rooney does more than just score goals. He has an impact on the whole team and squad.
"He has said he is not in the best form of his life but people need to support him and help him get into better form for England and United. The easiest thing to do is point fingers and say 'get him out'.
"I've been there when you are under a bit of pressure and everyone is having a go. No one wants to turn that round more than you do but you need help.
"I'm not saying nobody should criticise him, but let's analyse it properly. He hasn't lost ability and he's probably the only person capable or proven to get the goals you need to progress in a tournament."
