Stan Collymore has stated his belief that Dele Alli should be the man replacing Wayne Rooney in the England starting line-up.
In his column for Boyle Sport, Stan Collymore has explained why Dele Alli should start ahead of captain Wayne Rooney for the England national team.
Sam Allardyce began his reign as manager of England with a 1-0 away victory over Slovakia in the opening game of the World Cup qualifiers at the weekend, and while the final result was a positive one, not many were convinced with the performance of the Three Lions on the night.
England struggled to create many clear cut opportunities during the encounter and one could say that Allardyce’s side were fortunate to come away from the clash with all three points.
Understandably, fans as well as pundits have expressed their disapproval at England’s display, and skipper Rooney in particular has been subjected to a lot of criticism.
Now even Collymore has joined a growing list of pundits to question Rooney’s contribution to the England team and has stated that the Manchester United star should not be starting for the Three Lions from now on.
He wrote in a column for Boyle Sport, “So if Sam is clever, he’ll still have Rooney in the squad because of his experience but he shouldn’t be starting games and I’m afraid that time comes to us all when we can no longer deliver in the position we want to.
“So Wayne, instead of saying he’ll be around for another 2 years, may have to have that choice taken from him and be looked at as a mere mortal once again rather than the saviour of the nation.
“It’s painfully obvious that as the legs grow older, players take steps back on the pitch rather than forward and that’s what the lad is doing, taking steps back.”
Collymore then went on to add that Alli should be the man starting for England in midfield instead of Rooney and stated that the Tottenham Hotspur youngster possess all the desired skills in his repertoire to flourish for the Three Lions.
The former Aston Villa man continued, “Many of these young players now need to live under the pressure Rooney has always been under and I genuinely don’t think they will when he’s the one we all talk about.
“Dele Alli, for example. In real terms he should be starting in the position that Rooney wants to play in, around or alongside his team mate for 50-odd games already, Eric Dier.
“The jury is still out on Henderson, honest that he is. From midfield we need cockiness, confidence and a hybrid of a ball player, a rabble rouser, an inspiration and a motivator. He gives none.
“Which is why embracing Alli is so important even after a tricky start to the season. He just ‘has it’, proven with a cameo appearance which asked lots of questions going forward late on.”
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