But instead the FA brought in Italian boss Fabio Capello.
Rooney said: “I thought that the England manager’s job should always be done by an Englishman.
“But after working with Mr Capello over the last two years I have changed my mind completely. His attention to detail is just unbelievable. He once made the whole squad watch a half-hour tape of Glen Johnson doing a bad job of taking throw-ins.
“The players couldn’t believe it. But that’s how he works. He has his own ideas about what players should do and he leaves absolutely nothing to chance.”
Rooney added: “If you don’t show the same kind of commitment he lets you know.
“There have been times during training sessions when he has physically grabbed players and placed them into the positions he wants them to occupy.
“None of us had ever seen a manager do that before, but it shows just how much he cares.”
