Rooney to start against Sweden

Koen Freriks

19 juni 2006, 12:05

Sven-Goran Eriksson has confirmed Wayne Rooney will start England's match against Sweden tomorrow but the coach is considering a more radical alteration that would see an angry Steven Gerrard sit out the final group game.

Rooney was asked to partner Michael Owen in attack yesterday during England's final training session in the Black Forest before heading to Cologne, while Owen Hargreaves took the place of Gerrard in midfield. Eriksson also considered playing Tottenham's Jermaine Jenas in place of Frank Lampard, but in the end stuck to his assertion of Saturday that he would change no more than two of his starting line-up for a game England do not need to win.

The Swede has primed Hargreaves to play in a one-off 4-1-3-2 formation. The Bayern Munich player was handed a first-team bib in training and looks set to play in a holding midfield role that will give Lampard the licence to break forward and support the Owen-Rooney axis in attack.