England manager Roy Hodgson has dismissed “salacious” suggestions of a possible rift between forwards Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy and said the team were fully focussed on the Euro 2016 round of 16 match against Iceland, scheduled for later yesterday.
Reports surfaced midweek that captain Rooney and Vardy had a dispute over the Twitter prominence of Vardy’s wife Rebekah, which could be an unwelcome distraction for the team.
“I haven’t got a clue what you are referring to. There are absolutely no problems in football terms between Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy,” Hodgson told British media.
“In fact quite the reverse, they are very close friends, both on the field and off the field. I have got no idea what you are referring to.
“I certainly would advise Wayne to give no comment to it, because it is obviously one salacious story that someone has managed to spin. It is of no interest to us.”
England have come under pressure after scoring three goals so far and Hodgson expected a difficult encounter against Iceland.
“The character of the Icelandic people, their determination, their ability to survive through hardships — I am certain that has been a major factor in their progress as well,” Hodgson said.
“But we know, perfectly well, that whether we title them favourites or underdogs, it is going to be a very, very difficult game for us and they are going to be a hard team to beat.”

Capello impressed by callow England
Italian coach Fabio Capello is intrigued by the make-up of England’s Euro 2016 squad but fears a lack of experience could prevent the national team he once managed from scaling the heights in France.
Hodgson is overseeing the youngest England squad in a competitive tournament for 58 years, with an average age of 25 years and 10 months.
“They are young, daring, very dangerous in attack and they defend very well,” Capello, who led England from 2008 until 2012, told Spanish newspaper Marca.
“They are a national team without experience. We shall see how far they go.”
England went into the tournament with five wins in their previous six games. They finished second in Group B after a victory over Wales and draws with Russia and Slovakia.
Hodgson, who took over from Capello, led England to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 where they lost to Italy on penalties.
They were eliminated from the 2014 World Cup two years later at the group stage.