Relieving Kane of corner duty was my decision – Rooney

England captain Wayne Rooney has revealed it was his decision to stop Harry Kane taking corners at Euro 2016. Kane took all six corners in the opening game of England's ill-fated European Championship campaign against Russia in Marseille. Then England manager Roy Hodgson was heavily criticised for employing last season's 25-goal top Premier League scorer in this way and Rooney has now said he intervened in the matter. Asked in an interview yesterday if it was his decision to relieve Kane of corner duty, Rooney simply replied: "Yes." Former England striker Alan Shearer was among those to criticise Hodgson at the time, saying Kane was "well within his rights" to tell the manager that he should be in the penalty area on the end of corners rather than taking them. Shearer said Rooney and Adam Lallana were better suited to the role, and now Kane's club manager Mauricio Pochettino has expressed his surprise at Hodgson's call in France. "I don't want to criticise," Tottenham Hotspur boss Pochettino told reporters. "But I think Harry Kane is a top scorer, so why is he taking free-kicks or corners if his skill is to score? You need to stay in the box and not outside." Pochettino said he...

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