Wayne Rooney has boldly predicted that England will win the European Championships against Spain, courtesy of an unlikely source.
England take on La Roja in Berlin on Sunday evening, having dramatically reached the show-piece event after Ollie Watkins netted a last-minute goal to beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-final.
Meanwhile, Spain has arguably been the team of the tournament, having won all six of their games, including against Croatia, Italy, Germany and France.
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While the bookies have Spain as slight favourites, Wayne Rooney is backing England to win the tournament and Manchester United’s 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo to score.
"I just have a feeling about Mainoo," he told the Times. "That he is going to score and prove decisive."
He continued: "If you think of him in the tournament, he has got into good positions going forward and I think Spain will do their homework and close off space for Harry Kane, Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham.
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“But that will leave space for a midfielder arriving late, and that Mainoo will get one from a cut-back."
Praising Gareth Southgate’s decision to play Mainoo in the tournament’s knock-out stages, Rooney drew parallels with the teenager’s impact on the FA Cup final in May.
He said: "It was Mainoo who did it and then when Manchester United had the ball, ran off Rodri and scored. He was man of the match."
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Mainoo’s midfield partner, Rice said ahead of Sunday’s encounter: “I don’t want to jinx anything because I feel like we’ve done that in the World Cup and the last Euros.
“When things don’t go your way you end up thinking: ‘Why did we speak about things before they even happen?’ One more game, then we can talk about silly haircuts and tattoos.”
He added: “We had a meeting at St George’s Park and he put up special moments: when England won the Ashes, won the Rugby World Cup, how everyone gathered round in London.
“There were pictures of what it would be like, just to get that feel of how we could impact a nation.”
Topics: England, Spain, Wayne Rooney, Kobbie Mainoo, Gareth Southgate, Declan Rice
Chris Byfield