England coach Roy Hodgson risks upsetting Merseysiders after commenting on the Scouse accent of Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney.
Hodgson suggested that Rooney would not be able to stand up and lecture a room full of people because of his "Liverpool accent".
When asked what Rooney was like as an orator, Hodgson said: "Oratory is a much over-exaggerated quality. There are some people I think are very eloquent who don't get messages across well and others who I don't think you would regard as orators who get their message across very well.
"Everyone knows Wayne is not the sort of person, with his Liverpool accent, who is going to be able to stand up in front of a lecture room of people.
"But he doesn't need to. All he has to do is make certain the players he is talking to understand where he is coming from."
