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ESPN staff 9y

Roy Hodgson sorry for Wayne Rooney accent comment

Roy Hodgson says he has apologised to Wayne Rooney over his comment about the England captain's accent.

Hodgson had been defending Rooney's ability to inspire his teammates when he said that the striker's "Liverpool accent" may affect his willingness to give speeches to large groups.

The England manager, who had a brief spell in charge of Liverpool during the 2010-11 season, told the media ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifier against San Marino on Thursday: "Wayne knows I would never wish to offend him or anyone from Liverpool -- my wife is from there.

"I apologised to him for the headlines but he didn't even want one."

It certainly appeared Rooney had not taken any offence from his manager's remarks as he chuckled alongside Hodgson at the prematch news conference, and the manager also quipped: "I've had no problem with my wife."

Meanwhile, Rooney insisted his former Manchester United teammate Danny Welbeck deserves more credit.

Welbeck scored both goals in England's opening 2-0 win against Switzerland last month, following his move to Arsenal on deadline day.

He has since scored four goals for his new club, including a hat trick in their 4-1 Champions League win against Galatasaray, and Rooney believes the striker is proving his doubters wrong.

"He's a fantastic footballer," Rooney said. "I think sometimes he doesn't get enough praise for his footballing ability. The more he plays for Arsenal, he'll prove what a good footballer he is, and for England. For me, he's a top, top player."

Hodgson also feels England can gain from Welbeck's move to Arsenal, with the striker now getting the first-team opportunities that he found hard to come by at United.

"I'm pleased for him," Hodgson said. "He's been in my plans throughout the two years. He was with us in 2012.

"He's someone I follow very, very closely. He hasn't got an enormous amount of game time, and he's had to spend a lot of time waiting for his chance. Now it's great he's got his move and to be one of the first names on the team sheet."

Hodgson revealed he had a fully fit squad for the meeting with San Marino at Wembley.

Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph, who made his debut in last month's friendly with Norway, was considered a doubt after missing Tuesday's training session.

However, Hodgson said: "He took a knock at the weekend but he trained fully today. We've been fortunate to come through with all the players that we've selected training."

With San Marino the joint-lowest ranked team in the world, it has been speculated that Hodgson may field a weakened side, but the manager dismissed those suggestions even if, with a game away to Estonia to follow on Tuesday, he is considering some fresh faces.

"We're not planning on wholesale changes," he said. "We are keen to keep the momentum going. I think the players who played against Norway and against Switzerland did a good job and deserve a further confidence, but on the other hand there are a lot of players who are knocking on the door and would like to get into the team and I've got to weigh the two things very carefully.

"Keeping the team together but maybe also using at least one of these two games as a chance to see somebody else play."

He added: "I think that the players I select tomorrow will be anxious to play at the highest of their levels. That should be difficult for a team like San Marino to live with if we reach that goal and I think that that will lead to us scoring goals.

"But, quite frankly, I don't think that the qualification this time around is going to hang on goal difference anyway."

Information from the Press Association was used in this report.

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