The England manager says the record goalscorer was on a par with Paul Scholes and Paul Gascoigne and was ahead of Gerrard, Beckham and othersGareth Southgate laughs when the subject of a golden generation is jokingly raised. The retirement of Wayne Rooney only serves to emphasise that what is past is now past and the future under Southgate can begin with a clean slate. “When Wayne came through he was at a level which is different to any of the players we’ve got at the moment.” Southgate says. You’ve got very good players and then there are top players. “In my time in the England setup, Paul Gascoigne, Paul Scholes and Rooney just had that little bit more than all the others.

Source: The Guardian August 26, 2017 21:31 UTC