Wayne Rooney has disagreed with comments from former England teammate Steven Gerrard about the team’s failings.
Gerrard and Rooney formed part of an England team dubbed the ‘Golden Generation’ in the mid-2000s, but the Three Lions failed to win silverware despite an abundance of elite talent.
Speaking to another ex-England teammate, Rio Ferdinand, this week, Gerrard called that side ‘egotistical losers’. He suggested club rivalries prevented England from becoming a team and said he never felt ‘connected with my team-mates’.
Rooney admitted there were divides in the camp but said England’s lack of success was not for a want of trying.
“I wouldn’t quite put it that way but I know what he’s saying. There was a lot of big characters in the dressing room.
“I wouldn’t say [England squads now have a] better attitude. That’s disrespectful to us as players because we worked hard, we tried. We didn’t quite manage to do it.
“Even when you look back with the players we had could we have done better? We could have but it wasn’t to be.
“What you have now is [rival teams’] players training [together] before they go back to pre-season together – Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford for instance.
“It’s a different generation. The big thing is the media coverage of it is much better. The players get on better with the media. From the outside that gives a better feeling.
“It [was] difficult to have that relationship with Liverpool and Man Utd players. It’s easier now.
“I speak to Steven all the time [now]. You can have better relationships now because you can have a beer together and relax more.
“I was fine with everyone, I got on with everyone. I was aware Becks [David Beckham] and Gary Neville and Scholesy [Paul Scholes], you could see they weren’t going to be close to the Liverpool players.
“But one thing for sure is everyone worked hard for each other. I don’t think that was an issue. We just didn’t manage to get over the line. I didn’t see that at all.”
