Wayne Rooney has given his thoughts on whether Kieran Trippier should keep his place in the England team as the Three Lions gear up for the knockout stages of Euro 2024.
England secured their place in the last-16 after finishing top of Group C despite uninspiring performances in all three matches.
Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia saw the team met with heavy criticism and Trippier was one of those under the spotlight.
Fans noticed during the game that an argument broke out between the Newcastle man and team-mates Declan Rice and Phil Foden after he misplaced a pass.
Trippier received the ball from Foden, who gestured for him to play it to Rice. However, he left-back tried to give it to Bukayo Saka and saw his ball cut out.
Wayne Rooney has given his thoughts on whether Kieran Trippier should keep his place
Trippier has been played at left-back during Euro 2024 despite being a natural right-back
Trippier (left) and Rice (right) vented at on another after getting their wires crossed against Slovenia
Foden ad Rice quickly approached their team-mate to make their frustrations clear.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, ex-striker Rooney said: ‘At the minute, it’s Tripper or [Joe] Gomez, for me, who should play there.
‘I was very surprised and really shocked that Ben Chilwell didn’t get picked – just for the balance of having a left-footed player there.
‘He plays at Chelsea and has played well for England in the past. He’s a good left-back – he’s been in tournaments as well – so I was really surprised he wasn’t selected.’
‘So do you play Tripper or Gomez there? Do you bring Kyle Walker across?’
Rooney continued. ‘Over the past few years, Kyle has been the best right-back in the world. Do you take that away from him and put him at left-back? There’s so many imbalances about the team.
‘Should Foden play on the left, on the right, or as a 10? There are so many questions.’
After the match, Trippier reflected on the display, saying: ‘Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and, of course, they want to see more from us.
‘Us players, we want to do more, but we have qualified. Hopefully, the performances can get better.
Declan Rice and Phil Foden were frustrated with Trippier during the 0-0 draw with Slovenia
‘Being honest, I think we controlled the game [against Slovenia]. We created some chances, but again, we could do better. It’s fair to say, of course, we can.
‘But the most important thing is that our objective before the tournament was to qualify, and we’ve done that, and we topped the group.’
