Hodgson disappointed in Jagielka

Roy Hodgson says he is disappointed by Phil Jagielka's failure to back up Wayne Rooney following the England captain's late-night drinking session.

Rooney apologised after newspapers published "inappropriate" pictures of him looking drunk at a wedding at the England team hotel following the World Cup qualifier win over Scotland in November, but later back-tracked, accusing the media of "trying to write my obituary".

Hodgson, who quit as England boss after the national team's disastrous Euro 2016 showing, says Rooney's team-mates should not have let their captain take the blame alone.

"In this particular instance there should have been more joint responsibility," Hodgson told the Times.

"Wayne understood it was a bad moment in time and, in an ideal world, something he shouldn’t do. But if anyone was caught we would expect all of us to come out and say, ‘Yeah, look you’re right.’"

Phil Jagielka was photographed at the wedding reception at the Grove Hotel in Watford with Rooney, and Hodgson feels the Everton defender in particular should have taken his share of the blame.

"I would also have expected all those other guys to say, ‘Hold on, don’t just blame him, I was there too.’ I’m not going as far as to blame the FA, I’m just saying I’m disappointed in the group," Hodgson continued.

"It doesn’t matter that it was Phil Jagielka with Rooney and not, say, Joe Hart. It was another Premier League player and I’m disappointed in Phil a little."

Photo (Getty Images/ Richard Heathcote)

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