I trust Roo! Hodgson backs returning England star to shine in the lion's den
England boss Roy Hodgson is confident the returning Wayne Rooney will keep his cool in England's make-or-break clash.
His team face what is effectively an away game in Donetsk on Tuesday night, taking on the co-hosts of Euro 2012.
They need only a draw against Ukraine to secure a place in the last eight, but know giving anything less than their best will see them come unstuck in front of a vociferous and partisan crowd.
Theo Walcott has recovered from his hamstring strain in one boost for Hodgson.
Confident: Boss Roy Hodgson speaks to Wayne Rooney, Andy Carroll and Steven Gerrard
In the spotlight: England's players leave after inspecting the pitch at the Donbass Arena
And he confirmed that Rooney will start against the co-hosts after being unavailable for the opening two matches against France and Sweden through suspension.
But he has no fears about Rooney's self-control in what will be his first start since playing for Manchester United five weeks ago.
Hodgson said: 'I am not concerned about Wayne going over the top. It is a good point to make but I am sure other people apart from myself will be keen to remind him what we want is a good team performance.
Bring it on: England fans are counting down to the big game in Donetsk
Smiles better: Rooney can't wait to get back out on the pitch with England
Fighting fit: Theo Walcott (bottom) takes a snap after recovering from his hamstring injury
'We want him to help us win a game of football. I have been very impressed with his attitude in training and I have no fears about him.
'People say he may be ring rusty but from what I have seen he is every bit as sharp as when he played his last game for Manchester United.'
England need only a point to reach the last eight but Hodgson is refusing to look further than the testing encounter.
He said: 'We have already seen some good teams go out of this tournament. We have given ourselves a chance of going through but guarantees do not exist.
'The team believe in themselves and if the performances have increased expectations then that's good. But we are not getting carried away and know we've got a difficult test tomorrow evening.'
Hodgson knows England will have to overcome a passionate atmosphere in the Donbass Stadium but believes his players have the experience to cope with such a challenge.
'The players in this squad all play for top clubs, play in the Champions League, play in these sort of matches all the time," he added. 'We know the fans will be right behind the Ukraine but our players are capable of dealing with such challenges.'
The squad were forced to conduct their final session before flying out for game in Krakow rather than at the Donbass Arena, with the stadium's pitch having taken a battering during the thunderstorm that briefly called a halt to France's 2-0 win over Ukraine on Friday.
With the rest of the squad when they boarded the flight from near their Polish base was Walcott, a good sign for the midfielder who undertook extra training on Monday in a bit to be fit for the match.
The Arsenal winger had appeared to tweak his hamstring during Friday's 3-2 win over France but was able to continue what was a game-changing display that saw him come off the bench to equalise and set up the winning goal.
That put him in contention to start on Tuesday but Hodgson hinted he would not take a chance with Walcott unless he could be sure the 23-year-old would not break down during the game.
Hodgson told BBC Radio Five Live: 'Whether he is a real contender for a starting position will depend upon what the medical people can tell me and how much guarantee they can give me that if I do start him he won't be leaving the field after five minutes, forcing us to have 13 men rather than the 14 I would rather count on.'
Ref [Daily Mail]
England boss Roy Hodgson is confident the returning Wayne Rooney will keep his cool in England's make-or-break clash.
His team face what is effectively an away game in Donetsk on Tuesday night, taking on the co-hosts of Euro 2012.
They need only a draw against Ukraine to secure a place in the last eight, but know giving anything less than their best will see them come unstuck in front of a vociferous and partisan crowd.
Theo Walcott has recovered from his hamstring strain in one boost for Hodgson.
Confident: Boss Roy Hodgson speaks to Wayne Rooney, Andy Carroll and Steven Gerrard
In the spotlight: England's players leave after inspecting the pitch at the Donbass Arena
And he confirmed that Rooney will start against the co-hosts after being unavailable for the opening two matches against France and Sweden through suspension.
But he has no fears about Rooney's self-control in what will be his first start since playing for Manchester United five weeks ago.
Hodgson said: 'I am not concerned about Wayne going over the top. It is a good point to make but I am sure other people apart from myself will be keen to remind him what we want is a good team performance.
'We want him to help us win a game of football. I have been very impressed with his attitude in training and I have no fears about him.
'People say he may be ring rusty but from what I have seen he is every bit as sharp as when he played his last game for Manchester United.'
England need only a point to reach the last eight but Hodgson is refusing to look further than the testing encounter.
He said: 'We have already seen some good teams go out of this tournament. We have given ourselves a chance of going through but guarantees do not exist.
'The team believe in themselves and if the performances have increased expectations then that's good. But we are not getting carried away and know we've got a difficult test tomorrow evening.'
Hodgson knows England will have to overcome a passionate atmosphere in the Donbass Stadium but believes his players have the experience to cope with such a challenge.
'The players in this squad all play for top clubs, play in the Champions League, play in these sort of matches all the time," he added. 'We know the fans will be right behind the Ukraine but our players are capable of dealing with such challenges.'
The squad were forced to conduct their final session before flying out for game in Krakow rather than at the Donbass Arena, with the stadium's pitch having taken a battering during the thunderstorm that briefly called a halt to France's 2-0 win over Ukraine on Friday.
With the rest of the squad when they boarded the flight from near their Polish base was Walcott, a good sign for the midfielder who undertook extra training on Monday in a bit to be fit for the match.
The Arsenal winger had appeared to tweak his hamstring during Friday's 3-2 win over France but was able to continue what was a game-changing display that saw him come off the bench to equalise and set up the winning goal.
That put him in contention to start on Tuesday but Hodgson hinted he would not take a chance with Walcott unless he could be sure the 23-year-old would not break down during the game.
Hodgson told BBC Radio Five Live: 'Whether he is a real contender for a starting position will depend upon what the medical people can tell me and how much guarantee they can give me that if I do start him he won't be leaving the field after five minutes, forcing us to have 13 men rather than the 14 I would rather count on.'
Ref [Daily Mail]
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