Euro 2016: Wayne Rooney, Jamie Vardy are close friends, says England manager Roy Hodgson

Nice: England manager Roy Hodgson declared on Sunday that there are “no problems” between captain Wayne Rooney and forward Jamie Vardy following a press report about the strikers’ stormy relationship.

British newspaper The Times had reported that Rooney urged Vardy to ask his wife, Rebekah, to adopt a lower profile, apparently in reference to her newspaper column, television appearances and social media activity.

But when the question was put to Rooney at the press conference prior to England’s Euro 2016 last-16 match with Iceland in Nice on Monday, Hodgson stepped in.

“I’ll answer for Wayne. I haven’t got a clue what you’re referring to,” the England manager said. “There are absolutely no problems in football terms between Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy. In fact, quite the reverse. They’re very close friends, both on the field and off the field.”

“I certainly would advise Wayne to give no comment to it. It’s obviously a salacious story that someone’s managed to spin, but it’s of no interest to us,” he added.

Rooney did not respond to the question.

Hodgson was also asked for his thoughts on Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, but was careful not to express an opinion. “Brexit is a huge issue for the nation, but our concentration has just been about football,” he said.

“We voted, we had our say, and our nation had its say. We will live with that. But it hasn’t affected our preparations for this game,” he said. “We have to accept that, back home, a major decision was taken that we’ll deal with when we return.”