Overview
- Wayne Rooney used his BBC podcast to call Steven Gerrard’s label “disrespectful,” insisting the squad worked hard but fell short at tournaments.
- Gerrard told Rio Ferdinand’s show that the group lacked cohesion, described team-mates as “egotistical losers,” and said he disliked long spells in England camp hotels.
- Rooney acknowledged tensions between Manchester United and Liverpool contingents yet maintained that effort and unity on the pitch were not the problem.
- He said today’s players appear closer partly because rivals now train together in off‑seasons and because relations with the media are more constructive.
- Both Rooney and Gerrard featured in six major tournaments without progressing beyond the quarter‑finals, a record often contrasted with recent England runs to two Euros finals and a World Cup semi‑final.