Former England captain Wayne Rooney has disagreed with ex team-mate Steven Gerrard’s suggestion this week that his era of players were “egotistical losers”.
Gerrard said the so-called ‘golden generation’ of the 2000s were held back by egos and a refusal to get on with players from rival clubs.
But Rooney, who was at Manchester United for the majority of his 53 goals in 120 England appearances, said he “had no issues” with the other players and believed the team still worked hard for each other but just could not “get over the line” in major tournaments.
On his BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, he said: “We didn’t win anything. I wouldn’t quite put it that way, but I know what [Gerrard] is saying, because there was a lot of big characters in the dressing room and in the team.
“When you look back with the players we had, could we have done better, I think we could have but it wasn’t to be.
“No, I wouldn’t say better attitude because I think that’s disrespectful, really, to us as players.
“We worked hard, we tried, we didn’t quite manage to do it.
“It was difficult to have that relationship with Liverpool and Man United players. I think it’s easier now. I used to speak to Steven all the time when we were playing and obviously both scousers.
“I didn’t see that or feel that. I was fine with everyone, I got on with everyone and I had no issues.
“I was aware that Becks and Gary Neville and Scholesy and that, you could see they weren’t really going to be close to Liverpool players.
“But I think one thing’s for sure everyone would work hard for each other and try for each other and run for each other. So I don’t think that was the issue.
“We didn’t manage to get over the line, but I didn’t see it. I didn’t see that at all.”
