Roy Hodgson has backed Wayne Rooney to deliver for England under the spotlight of international pressure at this summer’s World Cup.
The Manchester United striker has spent the last week doing individual fitness work in Portugal as he continues to recover from the groin injury which caused him to miss the last three games of the Premier League season.
Hodgson’s squad arrived in Portugal for a pre-tournament training camp this week and the 28-year-old took part in the main session on Wednesday.
And the England boss is hoping to see the very best of the striker, who scored 17 goals and made 10 assists in 29 Premier League games this season, at next month’s tournament in Brazil.
He knows we, as a football nation, place a lot of faith in him
Roy Hodgson
“He is looking very good, very good indeed,” Hodgson said of Rooney.
“We try and individualise it a bit so in the session I did today I left a few senior players out, but it is only a precaution because we are trying to make certain we do not put too much physical pressure on the players too early.
“It has been a very good few days. There is a long way to go but at least we have got off to a good start.”
Hodgson continued: “He realises what a good player he is, he knows we, as a football nation, place a lot of faith in him.
“The eyes of England and possibly the rest of the world are on him. He spent his week off here in Portugal and trained in that time. He told me he wanted to be 100 per cent ready to train from the first day.”