England coach Roy Hodgson has taken aim at Fabio Capello over his comments about Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.< p> Capello, who managed England for four years before resigning four months before Euro 2012, told Italian radio that the Manchester United striker "only understands Scottish" because he only played well for Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Capello is entitled to his opinions, I suppose. I don't know what relationship he would have had with Wayne but I always think it's a bit cheap to kid on a player who was so anxious to do well," he told talkSPORT.

"His attitude was magnificent. He was putting in extra work in training because he was concerned he was behind the others having missed the first two games through suspension.

"He was trying to do extra work and we were trying to put the brakes on. His desire to do well was enormous.

"In the final game [against Italy] he, along with one or two other players, didn't play to the level he can but that's what football is about. If every player was a robot and played at the same level in every game then football would be a very simple game and we wouldn't need coaches."