End of the road: The tournament is over for Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Co

But Hodgson is operating in the shorter term, over the four years of his contract, and one challenge he faces is getting the best out of Wayne Rooney after yet another disappointing tournament for  England’s most gifted footballer.

Clearly, missing the first two group games did him no favours and Rooney has to take the blame for his red card in Montenegro.

But he did look unfit as well as off form and you have to wonder if, privately, Hodgson might now think it was a mistake to let Rooney go to Las Vegas on holiday and report late for international duty along with Chelsea’s Champions League players. Just as it might have made sense to leave him in Krakow when England were travelling to Ukraine for the matches against France and Sweden. His time may have been better served working hard with a fitness coach back at base.

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