Euro 2016: Wayne Rooney issues rallying cry to England to go further than the FA’s target of reaching the quarter-finals
The Three Lions captain is not happy to just make it past Iceland in the next round on Monday and says his team-mates are not just there to make up the numbers in the tournament
WAYNE ROONEY has told his team-mates: We’re here to win — nothing else.
Captain Roo delivered the rallying call England have been waiting for as they prepare for the last-16 Euros clash with Iceland.
He roared: “We want to win, that’s the aim.”
FA chairman Greg Dyke said boss Roy Hodgson could earn a new contract with a decent quarter-final display — even if England lose.
But Rooney was in no mood to settle for gallant failure — even though Hodgson himself would not set a target for success in France.
The Three Lions hitman said: “You don’t play for the achievement of a quarter-final.
“What would me and the players get out of that? We want to win it, that’s the aim.
“I’m not going to sit here and say we are a young group, so we’ll be happy to get to the quarters, the future’s bright and all that.
“We are here and we want to win it. Whether it happens remains to be seen.
“But we are not going to say that getting to the quarter-finals will be a sign of progress. I believe we are better than that.”
England’s runners-up finish in Group B left them in the same half of the draw as heavyweights France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
But Rooney believes the gap between the top nations is no longer as big and that England’s talented group of players are not scared by the big guns.
If England beat Iceland, they could meet France in the last eight, with Italy, World Cup winners Germany or reigning European champions Spain potential semi-final opponents.
But Manchester United star Roo, 30, said: “It will be tough, of course, but I personally feel we are as good as those teams.
“If this was four years ago and you were saying you have to play France, Spain, Germany, you would have been worried.
“I think the gap has changed — and not just with ourselves to those teams but with the likes of Wales, Belgium and Croatia are also really good.
“I think it shows there’s improvement in a lot of teams. But perhaps it also shows some of the top teams aren’t as good as they were.”