Gerrard: England can cope without Rooney

The Liverpool forward admits Roy Hodgson’s men will miss the Manchester United forward but insists confidence is high among the players

Steven Gerrard insists England are capable of securing a victory against Ukraine without Wayne Rooney.

The Manchester United forward was forced to pull out of Roy Hodgson’s squad due to a head injury which was caused in a collision with Phil Jones during a training session.

Gerrard admits England would rather have Rooney available, but the midfielder maintains that three points can be achieved in Kiev.

“Obviously Wayne is a world class player – any team would miss Wayne when he’s not available,” Gerrard told reporters.

“But I think we’ve got more than enough in the squad and the 11 to do the job out here and as the manager says, confidence is high in the group.

“We believe if we defend well tomorrow night we’ve got a great chance of getting the result we want.”

England have travelled to Kiev with just two available strikers after injuries ruled out Rooney, Andy Carroll and Daniel Sturridge, while Danny Welbeck is suspended after receiving a yellow card against Moldova on Friday.

Southampton striker Rickie Lambert is expected to lead England’s attack on Tuesday night, with Jermain Defoe the only other recognised forward in the squad.

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