Teenager Rooney gets England call

LONDON: Teenage star Wayne Rooney was called up by England football coach Sven-Goran Eriksson on Sunday to help the under pressure Swede score European Championship qualifying victories over minnows Liechtenstein and World Cup semi-finalists Turkey.

Scorer of some standout goals for his club this season, the 17-year-old striker is considered a big star of the future. But England’s poor form in their last three matches has brought forward his chance to get a competitive debut. Eriksson, whose team is five points behind the Turks, watched Rooney score Everton’s equaliser in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal before announcing his 25-man squad. He had appeared to have a change of mind. “He is young and his future is bright but it is difficult to pick him for a competitive match when he has so little first-team football behind him,” the England coach said on Saturday.

Everton’s manager David Moyes has been trying to make sure Rooney avoids burnout. “We are trying to nurture him and not give him too much, too soon,” he said. “His ability isn’t in question but he’s not ready to do it all the time. Seven months ago, he was still sitting at a school desk so let’s put it in perspective.” But England’s poor Group Seven performances in a 2-1 win at Slovakia and a 2-2 tie with Macedonia followed by a 3-1 loss at home to Australia in an exhibition match have cast doubts on Eriksson’s ability to get the best out of established players such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen.