Wayne Rooney backed by England team-mates Jordan Henderson and John Stones after fans turned on Three Lions captain at Malta match
The Manchester United captain was jeered by the nation's fans after 14 years of loyal service
WAYNE ROONEY has received the backing of his England pals after fans turned on him.
Jordan Henderson and John Stones were shocked by booing aimed at Rooney during Saturday’s 2-0 win over Malta.
Henderson said: “Wayne has had criticism through a lot of his career and he deals with it very well.
“He’s our captain and our leader and is a fantastic player for both Manchester United and for England.
“He put in a fantastic performance at the weekend. He got on the ball and broke up play to win back possession.
"We have to deal with the booing by staying together and winning games.
“But the fans have every right to criticise us because of the way we went out at the Euros and the World Cup.”
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Centre-half Stones was equally forthright in his support for Rooney.
He said: “Wayne has been brilliant for England. He gives 100 per cent in every performance so I am shocked by what happened.
“The big players always get the stick because of the standards they set.
“Wayne has never dropped his level in training or games and that’s why he has been a top player for so long.”
Even the Maltese were surprised by the treatment Rooney received from a section of the 81,781 crowd at Wembley.
Skipper Andre Schembri said: “I don’t know why they were booing him because he has developed the England team so that’s not fair.”
Yet the Group F minnows were happy to see Rooney in a holding midfield role.
Schembri added: “He still has that killer instinct so I would prefer him as a striker.
“If you tell a big player to play in a different position, he doesn’t like it. But Rooney doesn’t make any problems.”
And striker Michael Mifsud said: “When he is in midfield, which is not his position, he doesn’t give what people are used to seeing and that is difficult for them.”
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