Now this seems odd, not a great way to fire up a player before a tricky away tie, is he right in saying he will recall Rooney no matter what? Think it yes but to say it seems a bit stupid.
Before anyone says its spurs bias I didnt want Defoe to go to World Cup
JERMAIN DEFOE faces the England axe — even if he scores in Macedonia on Wednesday night.
Spurs striker Defoe bagged two in the 5-0 rout of Andorra at Old Trafford on Saturday.
But Wayne Rooney returns from suspension for October’s Euro 2008 ties.
That means either Defoe or Peter Crouch stepping down — and the Tottenham man looks to be odd man out.
Steve McClaren said: “I know who will be replaced when Wayne comes back but we’re not looking any further than Macedonia at the moment.
“Nobody is a permanent fixture. They have to work hard for their clubs in between and show form and then, when they come to England, perform well for the team.”
Crouch also scored twice against Andorra, taking his tally to 10 in his last nine internationals. McClaren said: “You can’t rely on 11 players, you have to have a squad.
“But Wayne Rooney is a massive influence on our team. That has been proven. He’s very valuable but he needs competition and people are coming to the fore.”
Defoe, left out of the World Cup squad by Sven Goran Eriksson, said: “This is a big opportunity for me. You have to take any chance you get when there are injuries or suspensions.
“I know there’s a lot of competition for places and that Wayne and Michael Owen will be back soon. But I’m not worrying about that right now.
“It just feels great to be back in an England shirt and hopefully there’s a lot more goals to come from me.”
England are home to Macedonia on October 7 and in Croatia four days later.
Before anyone says its spurs bias I didnt want Defoe to go to World Cup
JERMAIN DEFOE faces the England axe — even if he scores in Macedonia on Wednesday night.
Spurs striker Defoe bagged two in the 5-0 rout of Andorra at Old Trafford on Saturday.
But Wayne Rooney returns from suspension for October’s Euro 2008 ties.
That means either Defoe or Peter Crouch stepping down — and the Tottenham man looks to be odd man out.
Steve McClaren said: “I know who will be replaced when Wayne comes back but we’re not looking any further than Macedonia at the moment.
“Nobody is a permanent fixture. They have to work hard for their clubs in between and show form and then, when they come to England, perform well for the team.”
Crouch also scored twice against Andorra, taking his tally to 10 in his last nine internationals. McClaren said: “You can’t rely on 11 players, you have to have a squad.
“But Wayne Rooney is a massive influence on our team. That has been proven. He’s very valuable but he needs competition and people are coming to the fore.”
Defoe, left out of the World Cup squad by Sven Goran Eriksson, said: “This is a big opportunity for me. You have to take any chance you get when there are injuries or suspensions.
“I know there’s a lot of competition for places and that Wayne and Michael Owen will be back soon. But I’m not worrying about that right now.
“It just feels great to be back in an England shirt and hopefully there’s a lot more goals to come from me.”
England are home to Macedonia on October 7 and in Croatia four days later.