Euro squad to be delayed
Hodgson coy on captaincy; Rooney will be part of squad
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: May 1, 2012 6:46pm
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New England boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed the naming of the Euro 2012 squad has been put back until after the final game of the Premier League season.
Interim manager Stuart Pearce claimed last week that he might name the squad for the finals before the end of the campaign if a new man had not been appointed by then.
However, with Hodgson now at the helm it has been confirmed he will not be naming his squad for the finals in Poland and Ukraine until the end of the Premier League season on 13th May.
"It's going to be very important to get straight down to the task, making certain that when the time comes to name the squad, which we are likely to put back until after the last game of the season, that I've done as much research as I can and spoken to as many players as I can," he said.
"I'm looking forward to Wayne Rooney coming to the Euros with us and making a contribution even though he cannot play the first two games."
Roy Hodgson Quotes of the week
Hodgson refused to divulge who would be his chosen captain for Euro 2012 after being asked if his skipper at Liverpool ,Steven Gerrard, would be the front-runner for the position.
Rooney
The former Fulham chief, however, did confirm Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney would be part of his squad for Poland and Ukraine, despite being banned for the first two games of the tournament.
"I'm looking forward to Wayne Rooney coming to the Euros with us and making a contribution, even though he cannot play the first two games," he said.
Hodgson admitted he did not have much time to settle into the job with the start of Euro 2012 just six weeks away.
Swedish Cup: 1985-86, 1988-89 (Malmo)
Danish League: 2000-01 (FC Copenhagen)
Danish Cup: 2000-01 (FC Copenhagen)
UEFA Cup: runner-up 1996-97 (Inter Milan)
Europa League: runner-up 2009-10 (Fulham)
Difficult
"It's going to be difficult, of course, but hopefully I've got time. Obviously I've been working here for the last five years so the players are pretty well known to me, even though I haven't worked with them all.
"I've done as much research and spoken to as many people as I can."
Asked about England's prospects at the Euros, Hodgson added: "England always have to go into tournaments to win them because we are a major football nation.
"I certainly think the players would be very disappointed if we expected anything less of them than to win the tournament."
