beIN SPORTS

By Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven)

When Kolbeinn Sigthorsson scored Iceland’s second of the game, giving them a 2-1 lead over England in their last 16 tie at Euro 2016, his jubilation was expected to be fleeting. England would fight back. The nation of the Premier League and David Beckham and 1966 would surely find a way to edge past the tiny island country of just 330,000 inhabitants. They didn’t.

It was England’s biggest indignation since the defeat to a part-time USA side at the 1950 World Cup, costing Roy Hodgson his job as manager in the immediate aftermath. Now the English FA are charged with investigating what went so badly wrong and finding a replacement who can finally restore the country’s national team as a force in the international game. 

But it’s not just in the dugout that England must undergo change. They require evolution on the field too. They must embrace their young talent and place their faith in those who are just breaking through, casting aside those who drag England down and provide a throwback to the failures of yesteryear. It’s for this reason that Wayne Rooney should have no place in the England team going forward.

The England captain should have retired from international soccer after Monday’s defeat in Nice, leaving the national team behind just as Hodgson has. Rooney will go down as an English soccer legend, becoming the country’s highest goalscorer in history last year, but he no longer has a purpose in this team. 

Nobody seems sure what to do with Rooney as he moves into the twilight of his career. The irrepressible force of nature that once caught fire at Euro 2004 is gone. He is no longer a dependable goalscorer and so has been moved into central midfield at both club and country.

It’s where he started England’s opening group game against Russia, impressing to a certain extent. But against Iceland Rooney’s shortcomings were obvious. While the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli thrive through quick passing, swift interchanges and counter-attacking at pace, their captain slowed down the play nearly every time he received the ball. 

He was eventually withdrawn with just minutes left to play, Marcus Rashford coming on in his place, but by that time Rooney had already done enough to sabotage his side’s chances of making the quarter-finals. He should have recognised as much and stepped aside, giving the next national team manager a clean slate and the best possible chance of success.

Hodgson’s successor - whoever that may be - will be weighed down by Rooney should he continue to play for England. Hodgson felt obligated to hand him a starting lineup place due to his pedigree and background, regardless of whether he was truly suitable. In France this summer England had a misfit for a captain. 

Heading into this summer’s European Championships England were widely tipped as contenders. There was a youthful exuberance to them - with Hodgson picking the youngest squad at the tournament - with the likes of Harry Kane, Alli and Vardy coming off the back of momentous seasons, each in their own way. 

England have a talented squad. They are a much better team than they showed at Euro 2016, but must now assess the mindset of a nation that so consistently and tediously fails when it matters most. In terms of their collective mentality, they must strive to start again and that includes casting aside Rooney. 

They are better off without him. The likes of Alli, Jordan Henderson and Jack Wilshere should now make the transition from the vanguard of England’s next generation to the forefront of the current generation. Hodgson went on Monday night, but he shouldn’t have been the only one.