England utility man Phil Jones has defended his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney, insisting that the 28-year-old forward will be a success as captain of the Three Lions.
England failed to convince in their first match since the World Cup on Wednesday, when they limped to a 1-0 win over Norway courtesy of a Rooney penalty.
"I'm delighted for Wayne. He's a terrific player for club and country. He deserved that," Jones is quoted as saying by MEN Sport. "We created quite a few chances and didn't really stick them in the net.
"I thought he was great. He is always calm and composed and will make a great captain. It was difficult at the start to get over the World Cup, it's been well documented. But it was a good opportunity for us to show that we can really play.
"It's always important to bounce back from a really disappointing time. It was a great exercise for us against Norway. They made it difficult for us. We are very optimistic. It is a fresh start there are young players in the squad. We had three full debuts and that's a positive. It's an exciting time."
England manager Roy Hodgson has stood by his press conference outburst in which he defended his players and their performance.
Phil Archbold
