LONDON - England interim manager Gareth Southgate has declared he has the necessary courage to make contentious decisions, amid clamour for him to drop under-performing captain Wayne Rooney. Southgate said he was "very pleased" with Rooney's performance, but cited his time as manager of Middlesbrough, when he had to sack members of staff, as proof of his ability to make tough calls. Asked about the biggest decision he had previously made in his managerial career, he replied: "Making some really close friends redundant. Southgate has stepped in after Sam Allardyce left his post as manager in the wake of a newspaper sting, a situation he described as "unenviable". Southgate has called Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs into his squad after Ryan Bertrand sustained a hamstring injury in the first half against Malta.

Source: Bangkok Post October 09, 2016 22:41 UTC