Euro 2016: Future is bright for England, says Wayne Rooney despite exit

Wayne Rooney

Nice (France): England are already looking for a new manager after their nightmare in Nice but Wayne Rooney has no plans to walk away.

Wayne Rooney

Roy Hodgson fell on his sword after England were humiliated in the first knockout round of Euro 2016, going down 2-1 to a history-making Iceland side who arrived as major underdogs.

There had been some light speculation that Rooney could contemplate his own future if his side were unsuccessful in France, but he cooled any such talk within moments of the final whistle.

"I said before the tournament and I've been asked many times but I'm proud to play for England and I'll see who the next manager is and, if selected, I'm available to play," said Rooney.

"It is hard to see it now but the future is bright. It will take a bit of time I'm sure but we have to try to dust it off as quick as we can and try to move on. It is a hard one to take, it is embarrassing. We know we are a better team. Whoever the new manager is, it is the job for him to recognise and try to see where we need to improve."

Rooney is a veteran of England's tournament traumas, having tasted different brands of defeat in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2014 - and a failure to qualify for Euro 2008. That marks Rooney out from most of his younger team-mates, for whom he had advice on how to deal with the fall-out.

"I think they just need to keep their heads down," he said. "It will hurt for a while of course, the players understand that. You have to bounce back, that is your job, but each player is different, some might take longer. "We are all in it together and we all have to share that responsibility."

Meanwhile, Rooney rubbished reports that senior players called into question Hodgson's management. "In response to recent media reports, I'd like to say that (the reports are) completely untrue.

{On behalf of the players, we completely supported the England manager. We had absolute faith in him throughout the tournament."