Rooney and Milner out of position for experimental England

Roy Hodgson has already announced that Wayne Rooney, James Milner and Frank Lampard, who will be captain, will start England’s friendly against Ecuador in Miami.

The Three lions are odds-on at 5/6 to beat the South Americans, while Coral offer a special price of 9/2 for them to score three or more against them. England have won both meetings with their opposition to nil, and are 21/10 to do so again.

National boss Hodgson suggested that there would be 11 changes to the side that lined up against Peru but, with doubts over Rooney’s match fitness, he has decided to start him out on the left, ahead of Raheem Sterling.

While the Manchester United attacker has stated his frustrations in the past at playing out wide, Hodgson has nonetheless decided to use his power and utilise him there as part of a 4-2-3-1 formation.

“The thinking behind Wayne starting a second game is that he only played 60 minutes the other day. He didn’t play too many games before he joined us. He is recovering his match fitness. It will be to his advantage to play a part against Ecuador,” Hodgson said.

“Wayne can play in several positions and he’ll play in a position which we think will suit the team and which he is capable of playing.

“He can [play on the left], absolutely. I think Wayne’s a very useful player in the sense you don’t have to pin him down and say this is the only position he can play. He can play centre-forward, behind the centre-forward and wide.

Rooney will not be the only one to be played out of position, though, as Milner (odds-on at 5/6 to be in the XI in the first group games against Italy) will start at right back, in place of Glen Johnson.

This is a move that ironically mimics where Man Utd utilise a certain fellow tenacious midfielder on occasion – Ecuador captain Antonio Valencia (5/1 to score anytime).

“James will play right back against Ecuador,” Hodgson confirmed. “He’s got the qualities to play there. There may be moments in the World Cup where we’d like to use him there.