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Rooney will warm benches until Euro 2012

Comment: 0 October 10th, 2011 by: admin

Manchester United star Wayne Rooney will be taken out of the starting line-up in the games leading up to the Euro 2012 competition.

This will mean that the striker will be seen warming the benches during England’s first match in Poland and Ukraine.

The Man United star was sent off the field for kicking Montenegro’s defender Miodrag Dzudovic during the match Friday.

Commenting on Rooney’s red card, England coach Fabio Capello warned that should Rooney’s replacements prove effective for the team, he will not be against leaving him on the benches at Poland and Ukraine.

‘Yes, I can really leave him out when he’s available,’ said Capello.  ‘I need to find the solution for the first game or two games that Rooney will not play.’

Capello continued to say that should an effective strategy be formed to compensate for Rooney’s absence, the striker would have to re-prove himself worthy of being in the first 11.

Manchester are set to host a friendly match against current World and Euro champs Spain, who are under the coaching of Vicente del Bosque.  Capello has confirmed that the match will not see Rooney on the field.

‘I want to test new players, a different style and a new different movement, something different,’ he explained.  ‘Maybe it means he will be fresh for the Euros and sometimes he will come on at half-time.’

The Italian stated that his team offers a comparatively promising line-up, and it was his intention to use it to prepare a starting line-up that will not include Rooney.

‘If the others are good, they will play,’ he explained.  ‘In my life as a manager I have put a lot of good players on the bench.  I always decided who was for me the best player at that moment, at every moment.’

According to reports, there is a possibility of this ban being extended to other games should UEFA find it justified after reviewing referee Wolfgang Stark’s account on Rooney’s red card incident.

The English coach and FA officials are set to meet with UEFA committee members to discuss the appropriate punishment.

Addressing the issue, the FA stated that while they were not against the red card ruling, they believe that the incident is not severe enough to warrant Rooney a harsher punishment.

A decision on a final verdict on Rooney’s sentence may be reached as soon as Thursday.

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