Wayne Rooney finally makes his England return in tonight’s important clash with Ukraine – but what can we expect from the striker?
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A silly red card in the Three Lions’ final qualifying match left Rooney in the stands for the draw against France and win over Sweden, but the suspension is over and coach Roy Hodgson is expected to unleash the Manchester United man on the Ukrainians, with only a draw needed to ensure England’s place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.
The big question is what can we expect from Rooney, who will be desperate to make an impact in a short space of time? Will there be genius like his double against the Croatians at Euro 2004, or will there be madness like his stamp on Ricardo Carvalho that lead to a red card in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals? Or will we see nothing from him, like the World Cup two years ago? We will soon find out.
Bookmakers StanJames and Ladbrokes are certainly intrigued by the return of Rooney, with both firms offering special markets on the forward.
Ladbrokes have revealed their “What Will Rooney Do First?” market for tonight’s clash with Ukraine, and they are considering controversy when it comes the player. He is 50/1 to be sent off and 4/1 to receive a yellow card, while on the upside he is 11/4 to score a goal and 5/1 to provide an assist. Rooney is 11/8 to play the full match, and 7/1 to be subbed.
StanJames also have a number of specials for Rooney’s return to action. He is 11/8 to score anytime, 8/1 to score two or more goals and 33/1 to score a hat-trick or more. However, they too know his eagerness and fiery temper could land him in trouble, and Rooney is 3/1 to be booked and 33/1 to receive a red card in this match.
Away from those specials,
William Hill are offering “Match Winner” enhanced odds of 4/1 on Rooney to score and England to win, while both Paddy Power and
Blue Square Mobile are offering money back promotions on the forward.
If Rooney scores at anytime against Ukraine,
Paddy Power will refund losing first goalscorer, last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast singles on the match. Meanwhile,
Blue Square Mobile will refund losing first goalscorer and correct score bets on the match if he scores or is sent off.
