World Cup: Southgate hailed for dropping Chelsea star

Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has applauded England coach Gareth Southgate over his decision to drop Chelsea’s Mason Mount from his starting XI.

Recall that Mount started in England’s first three group games but was dropped by the coach who opted for Jordan Henderson in the knock-out stage.

England were, however, defeated 2-1 by France as they crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals.

“Gareth made good decisions about selection and tactics, seeing things that perhaps the fans don’t see sometimes,” Rooney told The Times.

“If you said to supporters that you were going to take Mason Mount out of a starting XI and put Jordan Henderson in, most would think it a negative decision.

“Thanks to tweaks like that, the team improved, and the 4-3-3 helped produce attractive, attacking football.”

In another news, Argentina ended up winning the FIFA World Cup over France in the final