Rooney ready for redemption

England striker Wayne Rooney said he will ensure he is ready to return after missing the first two games of Euro 2012 through suspension.

The 26-year-old has joined his England team-mates at their Hertfordshire base ahead of Saturday’s friendly with Belgium at Wembley, a game in which he is not expected to feature.

But the Manchester United forward says that he will train as hard as possible to get back into Roy Hodgson’s team upon the completion of his ban.

“I’ve had a rest and I probably needed that. Being in the squad feels good. It’s a few weeks before I can play so I will aim to do some good training to be ready if needed,” Rooney told TheFA.com.

The striker also expressed delight at his inclusion in Hodgson’s first squad, highlighting that new managers often look to different players.

“You don’t know if a new manager will have you in his plans so it was nice to know that I am,” he added.

“It is important I do my training right. I have had a long time to think about missing the first games; it’s disappointing but something I’ve dealt with and I am looking forward to the first game for the rest of the lads and hoping we can get something out of that.”

And Rooney echoed the thoughts of captain Steven Gerrard, insisting that the Three Lions will take the tournament one game at a time.

“We are in a tough group so we have to be focused in every game and take each game as it comes,” he continued.

“We have a lot of young players which is good so we should be fresh with lots of energy.”