Walcott: Play well and we could keep Rooney waiting

Theo Walcott is confident England can fill the gap left by Wayne Rooney for the opening two games of Euro 2012 and ensure there is no guarantee he will automatically regain his place.

Rooney will be suspended for the games with France in Donetsk on Monday and Sweden in Kiev a week on Friday after his sending-off in the qualifying match with Montenegro in Podgorica.

He will be sorely missed by a squad already lacking several key players through injury but Walcott has faith in the people available to new head coach Roy Hodgson.

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Walcott said: “Wayne is obviously a very important player to the team, but that’s what we have to bounce back from. You need to react from that disappointment.

“He has a two-match ban but the players we have in that dressing room play in the best league in the world as well.

“It’s not a hard task for anyone who comes into Wayne’s role. You never know, we might keep Wayne out of the team if we do well in the first two games. Only time will tell – we will see.”

One player Walcott has faith in to make a favourable impression is his Arsenal team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who made his first start for his country against Belgium at Wembley on Saturday.

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Walcott said: “Alex is the sort of person you don’t have to give advice to before a game. He’s a young man, likes to play with no fear, and is very confident.

“If there are people who haven’t heard about him before the tournament, they will now, I’m sure about that.”

Walcott replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain midway through the second half at Wembley and is regaining his fitness after a hamstring injury.

He said: “I had the problem at the end of the season and I’m starting to ease my way back into it. I’m training hard and I feel great and am looking after myself and hopefully I can show a bit more of that in a starting role next time.

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“To get any time to play at Wembley in front of the fans is always a positive and you want to try to do something as well and be a threat coming off the bench.

“Hopefully, I showed a little bit of that. We are a team playing without any fear and, when players come off the bench, they want to grab that opportunity.”

Walcott believes there are encouraging signs under Hodgson although it will take time before England are the finished article.

He said: “We are getting used to the way that Roy wants the team to set up and play. When you make a lot of changes, you always expect lots of little holes but I don’t think that was the case. It’s a positive going into the tournament.

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“It’s always going to take time with a new manager, the way he wants the team to play.

“It will take time but the most important thing is if we go out there in the Euros and perform well and work hard as a team, put in 100 per cent for the fans, that’s all that we can ask for.”

England’s new manager Hodgson has been left in a very tricky spot after losing three important members of his squad through injury, before being lambasted by Rio Ferdinand’s representative over the Manchester United man’s omission.

He can only hope the dust settles quickly to allow him to concentrate on preparing his team to meet the in-form French, who took their unbeaten run to 21 by beating Estonia at the weekend.

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Hodgson has seen enough over the past couple of weeks to believe the Three Lions can present Laurent Blanc’s men with a stern challenge.

“Whether we can beat France I don’t know because when you have gone 21 games unbeaten you obviously have something,” he said.

“They have a lot of games behind them with a team they believe in.

“We can’t suggest we are in that position, not least because of our key figures, Wayne Rooney can’t play in the first two games, and others have left us through injury.

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“I don’t think we will go into the game as favourites but I am happier that we are moving towards a team that can not only give them a game but, if we have a bit of luck on our side, perhaps win.”

Hodgson’s plans have needed revising. Frank Lampard might well have started next Monday, especially with Scott Parker still not back to his early season form. Gary Cahill definitely would have as John Terry’s defensive partner.

Both men are injured though, so at the back, the introduction of Joleon Lescott will require Terry to shift away from his favoured left-sided defensive station.

Hodgson’s remaining selection dilemmas surround the central striking position, where he will choose between Danny Welbeck and Andy Carroll, and the wider positions.

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Oxlade-Chamberlain did his chances no harm with an eye-catching first start in Saturday’s win over Belgium, although Stewart Downing and James Milner will also come into contention.

Hodgson could have become the Northern Ireland manager in 2007, former Irish Football Association president Jim Boyce has revealed.

Hodgson, appointed Fabio Capello’s successor on May 1, was a contender to replace Lawrie Sanchez five years ago but was ruled out by his commitment to Finland.

THEO walcott: Has faith in England’s squad to cope without suspended Wayne Rooney.