Euro 2012: Shevchenko wary of Rooney threat

Ukraine talisman Andriy Shevchenko has admitted that the imminent return of Wayne Rooney to England’s starting XI will make it very difficult for the co-hosts to KO the Three Lions.

“I know Rooney is a very good player and someone who can change the team, so we’ll have to see what happens if he plays. He has not played for a month now,” he told Goal.com.

Roy Hodgson’s side have done ever so well without the services of the Manchester United man.

Striker duo Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck both found the back of the net during Friday’s Group D clash against Sweden.

Many believe that the performances of Carroll and Welbeck have given Hodgson a selection headache ahead of England’s match versus Ukraine. This notion is absolutely absurd.

“I welcome those kind of selection problems,” said Hodgson. “I was really pleased with the performance of the front players.

“But Wayne Rooney is a special player and, frankly, it will be hard to leave him out. I’m afraid you expect him to get back into the team when the suspension is served.”

Expect Hodgson to play Danny Welbeck alongside his fellow Manchester United mate Wayne Rooney. The Red Devils duo bagged 38 goals and eight assists in 64 league appearances (55 starts) for the English Premier League runners-up last season.

Now then, according to former Chelsea FC striker Andriy Shevchenko, England are “most dangerous” from set-pieces.

With Carroll potentially heading to the bench, England will not pose as much of an aerial threat, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The worst thing a team can do in the Euros is fall in love with crossing the ball into the box. A one-dimensional attack is a poor one.

Look for England to be a bit more creative due to the inclusion of Rooney. I’m not saying that the England will transform into Spain overnight, but you’ll see a noticeable difference in creativity and ambition when Wazza takes the pitch for the first time.

Rooney is 11/2 to score first against Ukraine, while Shevchenko is 7/1 to score first for the co-hosts.

Expect a tight contest between these two sides on Tuesday, June 19, with England denying Ukraine a place in the knockout stage of Euro 2012.

The home supporters won’t be happy, but England won’t mind at all.

Euro 2012 Betting Odds: England v Ukraine

England (6/5) v Ukraine (5/2); Draw (23/10)

Euro 2012: Group B Standings

Team	W	D	L	Pts
France	1	1	0	4
England	1	1	0	4
Ukraine	1	0	1	3
Sweden	0	0	2	0