Joleon Lescott is sure that Wayne Rooney will keep his cool in Montenegro as England look to claim top spot in Group H at the scene of perhaps the maddest moment of the striker’s international career.
Rooney was banned for the first two matches of Euro 2012 after kicking out at Montenegro midfielder Miodrag Dzudovic in their qualifier 17 months ago.
The petulant kick was the latest in a line of controversial issues that have dogged the 27-year-old throughout his career.
That famous stamp on Ricardo Carvalho in the 2006 World Cup and a series of off-the-field problems have meant there have always been concerns over Rooney’s temperament, but, in fairness to the striker, he has kept out of trouble ever since his indiscretion in Montenegro capital in October 2011.
England manager Roy Hodgson is wary Montenegro will try to wind Rooney up in tomorrow night’s crunch qualifier, but Lescott is convinced the former Everton man will not lose his temper if they tease England’s star man about the kick.
“Wayne is older now. He is more experienced and mature,” the England defender said. “We all are. I don’t think there will be a problem.
“We want to be disciplined and professional. With the calibre of players in this squad, I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Lescott has undergone something of a roller-coaster week. Injuries to Michael Dawson, Phil Jagielka, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Cahill mean he will now be one of the first names on Hodgson’s team sheet come Tuesday night.
Lescott, who will be partnered by 22-year-old Chris Smalling, has only completed 10 Premier League games for Manchester City this ter with his most recent start at club level coming against Championship strugglers Barnsley in the FA Cup.
Strolled
Lescott barely had a tackle to make on Friday night as England strolled to an 8-0 win in San Marino, but he insists he is prepared to do combat with feared Serie A strikeforce Stevan Jovetic and Mirko Vucinic, who have scored 23 goals between them this season.
“I haven’t been in (the City team) as much as I would have liked this season, but I played against Barnsley, so my sharpness wasn’t too far away, and San Marino was a massive game for me to be involved in,” he said.
“I did my best in training. The manager feels he can trust us all. My experience of dealing with difficult opponents at Euro 2012 can definitely help against Montenegro.”
The San Marino game will also live long in the memory for Lescott on a personal level as he ended the match with the captain’s armband following Frank Lampard’s second-half withdrawal.
“I was disappointed last week when I didn’t get in the squad, but I was delighted to be involved and I ended up as captain,” Lescott added.
“It was definitely my proudest moment in international football. I did it for the first time against Norway but to do it in a competitive game was even more special.”
