- Kieran Trippier’s starting position sparked debate during Euro 2024
- Declan Rice and Phil Foden were frustrated with the full-back against Slovenia
- Listen to It all starts! EURO DAILY: Should Jude Bellingham be dropped by Gareth Southgate?
Wayne Rooney has given his opinion on whether Kieran Trippier should retain his place in the England squad as the Three Lions prepare for the knockout stages of Euro 2024.
England secured a place in the last 16 after finishing top of Group C despite uninspiring performances in all three matches.
Tuesday’s 0-0 draw against Slovenia earned the team plenty of criticism, and Trippier was one of those in the spotlight.
Fans noticed during the match that an argument broke out between the Newcastle man and teammates Declan Rice and Phil Foden after he misplaced a pass.
Trippier received the ball from Foden, who gestured for him to play it to Rice, but the left-back tried to pass the ball to Bukayo Saka and saw his ball cut out.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, ex-striker Rooney said: ‘At the moment it’s Tripper or [Joe] Gomez, for me, who should play there.
“I was very surprised and shocked that Ben Chilwell wasn’t picked just because of the balance of having a left-footed player.
‘He plays for Chelsea and has played well for England in the past. He is a good left-back, he has also played in tournaments, so I was really surprised that he was not selected.’
“So are you playing Tripper or Gomez there? Are you transferring Kyle Walker?” Rooney continued. ‘In recent years, Kyle has been the best right back in the world. Do you take that away from him and put him at left back? There are so many imbalances in the team.
‘Should Foden play on the left, right or as a 10? There are so many questions.’
After the match, Trippier reflected on the display and said: ‘Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and of course they want to see more from us.
‘We players want to do more, but we have qualified. Hopefully performance can get even better.
‘To be honest, I think we had the game under control [against Slovenia]. We created some chances, but again we could have done better. It’s fair to say that of course we can.
“But the most important thing is that our goal before the tournament was to qualify. We succeeded and we came first in the group.’