Wayne Rooney says manager Liverpool sacked is genuinely very underrated

It seems a long time ago now, but Liverpool’s managerial situation wasn’t always as settled as it is right now.

Indeed, in between the departure of Rafa Benitez and the hiring of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool couldn’t quite get it right in the dugout.

Brendan Rodgers almost took Liverpool to the title, but Rodgers was criticised at times, and while Kenny Dalglish was a club legend, his tactics were somewhat outdated.

Arne Slot has done incredibly since coming in, but that very much wasn’t the norm at Anfield in the 2010s.

However, perhaps the worst of the lot was Roy Hodgson.

Hodgson struggled at Liverpool, it has to be said, but he wasn’t a bad manager overall.

Indeed, speaking on his podcast, Wayne Rooney has spoken highly of Hodgson, claiming that he was a top manager who doesn’t actually get the credit he deserves.

Wayne Rooney backs Roy Hodgson

Rooney spoke about the former Liverpool manager after working with him with England.

Rooney says that he actually used to love Hodgson as a coach, noting that he doesn’t get the accolades he perhaps deserves.

“I loved Roy, some of the conversations we used to have were hilarious. Obviously, he’s a very clever man and a very good man, yet. We used to get off the team bus when we travel abroad and the team would get on the bus and as captain, me and Roy would go to the press conference in the car and I’d get it for like an hour, nonstop,” Rooney said.

“In English and French and I’m just like, Oh, please, Roy. You’re tired. You’ve just flown to whatever country.

“But I learned a lot from him. I think he’s a very, very good man. Good manager and I think he doesn’t get the credit if you take England away from him for all the other jobs he’s done, obviously over in France and Sweden and obviously in England.

“So I learned a lot from him, Roy. And obviously I enjoyed playing under him.”

Roy Hodgson’s career achievements analysed

As Rooney says Hodgson is a very underrated manager.

Unfortunately, he probably is best remembered for his poor stint at Liverpool, but, overall, he did have an incredible effect on world football, particularly in Scandinavia.

There isn’t an English manager in modern history with a CV this impressive other than Sir Bobby Robson, and while Hodgson never quite became a Premier League winning gaffer, he’s had massive success in numerous different countries.

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