Roy Hodgson believes the returning Wayne Rooney can be England's very
own Pele when they take on Ukraine looking to secure progress from
Group D.
England face co-hosts Ukraine on Tuesday night in the
knowledge that a draw will be enough to clinch qualification for the
quarter-finals, while top spot is also feasible depending on France's
result against Sweden.
Hodgson will be boosted by the availability
of star striker Rooney for the fixture, having been without the
Manchester United player for the opening two matches due to suspension.
And
the Three Lions coach is backing Rooney to make a significant impact,
likening the forward to Brazil legend Pele, who lifted three World Cup
trophies with his nation.
He said: "If you look back through the
years, if you take Pele for example, he was capable of producing his
very best football when it really mattered to help Brazil win World
Cups.
"Let's hope that Wayne Rooney can start to do that for us
and then, if we win, who knows? If Wayne can produce his best, he can
help us keep going even further.
"Everyone knows what Wayne
Rooney's all about. He makes us more threatening going forward. He's a
world-class player and I can see it in his eyes that he's itching to get
out there and perform. He could, hopefully, make the difference."
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