Source: Team_Talk
Lone role will suit Rooney - Lineker
Gary Lineker has urged Fabio Capello to play Wayne Rooney for England in the same cental striking role he has for Manchester United this term.[LNB] In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney has scored 34 times in all competitions as a lone striker at Old Trafford and is a racing certainty to win the Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year award.[LNB]Now Lineker, the former England striker who netted 48 times for his country, wants Rooney to be used in South Africa as the lone striker for England with Liverpool's Steven Gerrard deployed in the space behind him.[LNB]Lineker, the only England player to have won the Golden Boot after scoring six goals at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, said: "I was not in the same league as Rooney. He is a much better footballer than I ever was. I was a goalscorer. He is a goalscorer and more. A wonderful talented all-round footballer. I would have loved to have played with him.[LNB]"He can play up front on his own with a player just behind like he has done for Manchester United for much of this season and he has been brilliant in that role.[LNB]"Prior to that he has played with someone like Emile Heskey, who he seems to get on really well with and they play well together. But Heskey has not had a very good season. He's getting older, he's never really been a big-match player.[LNB]"I think the pressure gets to him, so Capello might consider Peter Crouch, who seems to do really well in an England shirt, or go with Jermain Defoe.[LNB]"The alternative is to play Wayne like he does for Manchester United with Gerrard or Joe Cole. I personally fancy using Gerrard with him because that gives him licence to do what he wants and he's brilliant when on song."[LNB]Lineker, who will present the BBC's World Cup coverage in South Africa, also believes Capello must solve England's goalkeeping conundrum by going for the experience of goalkeeper David James over West Ham's Robert Green.[LNB]Lineker said: "David James has been around, he's got the respect of his players. He's tended to do the odd rash thing in his career but he can certainly go six or seven games without doing that and be brilliant. I think Capello will go with James."[LNB]Yet Lineker believes ultimately England will fall just short of the main prize, reaching the semi-finals before going out, just like they did in 1990 in Italy against West Germany on penalties.[LNB]Lineker added: "England need a bit of luck with injuries for a change. We've not had that for a long time in tournaments. We need all our star men fit. If we get everyone fit hopefully we'll have a chance of doing as well as the squad we had in 1990."
