Wayne Rooney disagrees with Rio Ferdinand as Southgate told he got two England calls wrong

Wayne Rooney has disagreed with former Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand over rising Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite. The 21-year-old, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, had been widely tipped to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 after an excellent season for Everton.

However, he didn’t make the final 26-player line-up for Germany, with Brighton’s Lewis Dunk, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, and Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi getting the nod ahead of him. The decision was supported by Ferdinand, who said Branthwaite is “not ready” for tournament football in his Vibe with Five podcast ahead of the tournament.

Ferdinand is excited by Branthwaite’s potential, though, saying: “He’s done really well at Everton. The clean sheets etc, just the fact that they stayed up and he’s been a main part of that is great.

“But he’s defending a lot of the time on the edge of his box, like a low block team. England don’t want to play like that – England want to have the ball and pass and start attacks, and he hasn’t shown that he can do that yet at a top level.”

However, Rooney felt Branthwaite, along with Jack Grealish, should have been on the plane as he outlined Gareth Southgate’s mistakes. The former Everton man had no qualms with Tottenham’s James Maddison being left out, though.

“Grealish, I would have taken him,” the new Plymouth Argyle manager told Gary Neville on The Overlap. “On the right, you’ve got [Bukayo] Saka, Cole Palmer, [Jarrod] Bowen, Phil Foden can play out there too. I would have taken Grealish instead of Bowen, just to bring a bit more balance and give something a bit different as well.”

Highlighting Branthwaite’s assets, the former Everton and Manchester United ace added: “And Branthwaite was one for me, just for the balance of the backline. Big lad, good on the ball, has had a good season, I would have taken him.”

Harry Maguire, a regular presence under Southgate, didn’t make the cut for fitness reasons while his regular centre-back partner for England, John Stones, hasn’t had ideal preparation for the tournament. Rooney admitted he is worried about Southgate’s defence but is excited by England’s attacking prowess.

“For me, the backline is a worry,” he said. “The attacking players are unbelievable, probably the best we’ve had, but the backline is a big worry for me.”