WAYNE ROONEY insists that questioning the attitude of England’s Golden Generation is “disrespectful”.
Steven Gerrard recently caused a stir by saying he spent his international heyday in a squad of “egotistical losers“.
Gerrard also claimed that “hatred” between Liverpool and Manchester United players was part of the reason they never made it past the quarter-finals of a major tournament.
But Rooney scoffed at the idea that the Three Lions’ current crop have a better mindset.
He told The Wayne Rooney Show: “I wouldn’t say better attitude. That’s disrespectful to us as players because we worked hard, we tried.
“What you have now is players [from rival teams] training [together] before they go back for pre-season – Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford, for instance. It’s a different generation.
“It [was] difficult to have that relationship with Liverpool and Man Utd players.
“It’s easier now. I speak to Steven all the time.
“I was aware that Becks and Gary Neville and Scholesy, you could see they weren’t going to be close to the Liverpool players. But one thing is for sure – everyone worked hard for each other.”
United legend Rooney, who was England‘s record goal-scorer until Harry Kane toppled him in 2023, wasn’t totally on board with Gerrard’s “egotistical losers” dig either.
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He added: “I wouldn’t quite put it that way but I know what he’s saying. There were a lot of big characters in the dressing room.”
Gerrard and Rooney each played well over 100 games for England, scoring 74 goals between them.
But years of underachievement made way for a string of impressive tournament runs after the Golden Generation hung up their boots.
The Three Lions made two Euros finals and a World Cup semi-final under Gareth Southgate.
And Thomas Tuchel has a youthful side purring ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
