Hodgson admits expectations were 'too high' on Wayne Rooney

England manager Roy Hodgson has admitted expectations were 'too high' for Wayne Rooney at Euro 2012 as feels the striker struggled to correspond.

The striker missed out on the first two games due to suspension and scored the winning goal in the final group stage match against Ukraine. However, he failed to make an impact in the quarter-finals against Italy, where England lost 4-2 on penalties after a goalless draw.

And the Three Lions' head coach has rued that his star striker didn't put on his best performance.

“He certainly tried very hard but he didn't have his best game. I think he would admit that. That might be down to a number of factors but I don't think fitness was a particular one. You can put a lot of things down to fitness but there was no reason for us to doubt his fitness,” he said.

“But I think we put a lot of expectations on him. When he missed the first two games through suspension, we all believed that we needed to do then was get to the third game and Wayne would win us the championships. That maybe was too much to ask of him.”

'A bit disappointed'

Hodgson added: “I think in all top international teams, you're looking at one, two, possibly three individuals that everyone recognises as being exceptional, world-class talents. And when you get to the big stage, you're hoping those players perform and show they're world-class talents. Like a Maradona, who won Argentina a World Cup.”

“I think what you might be saying is you're a bit disappointed with his performance and you maybe thought he could have played better.”

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney  England  Rep. of Ireland 1985-10-24 (27 years) Forward 78 kg 178 cm See player profile>

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