Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he called Wayne Rooney in the past week after feeling as though his player might be suffering from the pressure put on him.

“I had that feeling,” Ferguson said. “I spoke to Wayne and I just said: ‘Relax and enjoy it.’ I just sensed there was a tension in and around the camp from what I was hearing. I didn’t watch the Algeria game but I just get a feeling that the expectation is affecting the England team. Sometimes the expectation can be debilitating in terms of getting the players to perform to the levels required to get through their group.”

Our manager believes that the gruelling season players in England face has a detrimental effect on their International campaigns. Rooney had played in over 60 games this season for club and country, as well as picking up an injury towards the end of the season.

“The season we have in Europe, particularly in England, is tough,” he said. “Then the players all met up three or four days after the season finished and they have been together for most of that time, after a long, hard season. It’s a real task to ask players to perform at the best level they can after a season in England.”

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