- The England great featured on BBC’s coverage of an FA Cup quarter-final tie
- A dull first half led Lineker to ask Rooney for the reasons behind the phobia
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Wayne Rooney revealed his bizarre phobia live on TV, saying he just ‘didn’t like’ it, leaving Gary Lineker and his fellow pundits in stitches.
Rooney was part of the panel for the BBC‘s coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final showdown between Brighton and Nottingham Forest on Saturday night.
After an uneventful first half at the Amex, Lineker, seemingly unprompted, decided to turn the spotlight on Manchester United and England great Rooney.
In doing so, he bizarrely announced that Rooney was frightened of FISH.
‘It wasn’t the most compelling first half but what we did learn earlier, during that first half, was that Wayne Rooney is scared of fish,’ Lineker announced.
Fellow studio guests Theo Walcott and Glenn Murray couldn’t hold back the laughter while a smiling Rooney sheepishly tried to explain his opinion.
Wayne Rooney bizarrely revealed he has a phobia of large fish while live on TV
Gary Lineker gave Rooney a comical grilling during the BBC’s FA Cup quarter-final coverage
Theo Walcott and Glenn Murray were unable to hold back their laughter after the revelation
‘I just don’t like them,’ he said.
Lineker then doubled down in the comical segment, adding: ‘I’m only saying it because we’re only three or four miles from the coast here.’
‘It’s the big fish,’ Rooney quickly clarified. ‘I do like fish.’
The Match of the Day X account shared the clip, adding: ‘We have some questions.’
Before the game, Rooney was unimpressed with Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to rotate his starting XI despite the importance of the game.
Espirito Santo made three changes to the side that beat Ipswich before the international break, benching Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga.
‘I’m shocked,’ Rooney said. I think the FA Cup is such a prestigious tournament and to rest players in the quarter-final when you’ve got a great opportunity to get to the semi-finals. They’re trying to get into Champions League football which is fine.
‘But as a player, you want to play, you want to get momentum, you want to keep trying to win games. To leave players out… If I was a fan, I’d be fuming.
‘You want to win silverware and this is a great opportunity. To leave players out when they’re not guaranteed to win the game on Tuesday is beyond belief for me.’