Fergie: Senior men must take strain of Rooney

Alex Ferguson has called on Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and particularly David Beckham to step forward and take responsibility for England’s World Cup bid.

Even before Wayne Rooney broke his foot at Chelsea last weekend, the Manchester United boss was unhappy at the burden of expectation being placed on the young striker’s shoulders to carry the fight for England in Germany this summer.

Now, even if the 20-year-old does recover in time to play some part in the competition, it is likely to be the quarter-final at the earliest before he can turn out for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side.

Ferguson does not believe Rooney’s absence means England are now a forlorn hope to win the competition.

But he does consider it time for some of the senior players, and specifically the captain, to start taking charge.

“I said before there was too much being put on Wayne’s shoulders,” said Ferguson. “Now the emphasis has to change.

“Step forward Steven Gerrard, step forward Frank Lampard, step forward Joe Cole, step forward David Beckham. These guys are all more experienced and older than Wayne Rooney.

“David in particular has played in World Cups and European Cup Finals. He is the captain.

“Now they all have an opportunity to make an impact.

“You can never say one player is going to decide everything, especially a young player because they lack consistency and can always have a bad game.

“Even without Wayne, England have a lot going for them. It is certainly not a hopeless cause.”

Ferguson cites strength in depth in central defence, the massive improvement in Tottenham’s Paul Robinson, who the Scot rates as “the best goalkeeper England have had for quite a while” and the likely fitness of Ashley Cole as major reasons to be optimistic.

However, he does stop short of actually tipping England to win the tournament, an assessment which is not based on Anglo-Scottish rivalry.

“It is not a forlorn hope but I always think the World Cup is about preparation and I believe English football is suited to England doing well in it,” he said.

“I know the players will have a bigger rest than normal this year but it is difficult to think you could go through an English season and then peak in the summer.”

While Ferguson has pledged to do everything he can to get Rooney fit, even to the extent of having an oxygen chamber transported to United’s Carrington training ground, he remains dubious about the 20-year-old’s chances of recovering in time.

Even if Rooney ultimately has to suffer the bitter disappointment of missing out, Ferguson is confident he will enjoy plenty of World Cups throughout a lengthy career.

“The important thing is that Wayne has a future,” said Ferguson.

“At his age, he could still play in four World Cups.

“It would be a disappointment for him if he missed it but this is not his last chance.

“All he has to do now is listen to common sense. We can do no more than try our best for him. Hopefully, it will be good enough.”