Euro 2016: Roy Hodgson has striking concerns as forwards remain off-target

England strikers fail to follow Wayne Rooney's lead in Euro 2016 training ahead of Iceland encounter

England's forwards endured a mixed morning in training on Thursday (Getty)

It was the dead-eye strike of a player who knows where the goal is, a right-foot shot, 25 yards from goal on the edge of the penalty area, which arrowed into the top corner of the net.

Wayne Rooney then turned on his heels and strolled towards the centre-circle as Roy Hodgson began to dissect the abject performance of his forwards during a 20 minute shooting drill at England’s Stade de Bourgognes Euro 2016 training base in Chantilly.

Rooney, England’s all-time leading goalscorer, is now a midfielder, of course – the man charged with dictating the tempo of his team’s performances in France, but how Hodgson could now do with his captain back at the sharp end, putting the ball in the back of the net as he did seven times during the qualification campaign.

In Chantilly on Thursday morning, Rooney was instead charged with providing the bullets for the likes of Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford to stake their claim for a starting position against Iceland in Monday’s second round tie in Nice.

And in truth, it was an X-rated display by Hodgson’s four-pronged strike-force. During the 20-minute drill, which saw Rooney feed an overlapping full-back, who would then cross into the penalty box, the cream of England’s attacking talent scored just nine goals from 47 attempts.

Wayne Rooney remains confident in the quality of England's forwards ahead of Monday's match with Iceland (Getty)

Gary Cahill and John Stones impressed in their role as defensive blockers, but it was a poor return nonetheless from a group of players who have taken the big bad wolf approach to scoring in Euro 2016 – they have huffed and puffed, but not quite been able to blow their opponents down.

Vardy and Kane scored twice during the drill, as did Jack Wilshere who was involved as a late runner into the box. Rashford did not score, while Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli were only able to must one goal apiece.

Hodgson, at least, moved quickly to demand a sharp improvement in standards from his attacking players. “The quality at the moment has to be better than this,” he insisted, before signalling for the session to continue. But the finishing did not improve, despite the quality of crosses being delivered by England’s four full-backs.

Hodgson’s coach, Ray Lewington, urged the forwards to ‘concentrate’ and show better movement, but the concern for all involved would surely be that, after peppering Slovakia’s goal for no reward in Saint Etienne on Monday, the blunt edge showed no signs of being sharpened ahead of the clash with Iceland – a well-organised defensive unit with the kind of physically-imposing defenders who will enjoy nothing more than repelling a series of crosses into the box.

England failed to convert numerous chances against Slovakia last Monday (Getty)

Rooney, who has yet to score in France, admits that England must quickly rediscover their shooting boots before flying down to the Cote d’Azur. “We know we have to be more ruthless and take full advantage of the chances we create,” the Manchester United forward said. “It’s important because, if we get an early goal on Monday, they will have to come out and then leave more spaces for us.”

Having endured two major tournaments himself without scoring, Rooney can empathise with those forwards who are struggling for form in France. Vardy and Sturridge both scored in the 2-1 victory against Wales, but Kane has yet to get off the mark having looked jaded after a demanding Premier League campaign.

Rooney insists, however, that the Tottenham forward deserves the benefit of the doubt due to the role he is being asked to play. “I have seen it a lot throughout my career,” Rooney said. “Especially at Manchester United, when you play as a striker and teams sit back, it is very difficult.

“It is difficult to get touches of the ball, to get that yard to get your shot in. I think it is important to be patient. You don’t have to try and do everything when you get the ball. You have to be patient, your chances will come.

“Harry knows he is a goal away from everything changing. He knows he has the potential to win us the game on Monday, to win us the quarter-final. He is a special player and is a natural goalscorer. A great finisher. If he gets chances he will score goals and hopefully those chances will come.”

They did not materialise too often in training, for any of the forwards, which made Rooney’s almost nonchalant strike into the top corner something of note. If the forwards continue to tread through treacle, it may not be too long before Hodgson asks him to show them how it’s done for real, in the heat of battle at Euro 2016.