Gareth Southgate: Mr Nice Guy. Right?
Well, that assumption may be true for the loving or loathing English population, but not for former Three Lions regular Danny Rose and his old teammates. Fortunately for the ex-Tottenham left-back, it wasn't him on the receiving end of Southgate's lesser-known mean streak but, with all due respect, a much greater name.
Wayne Rooney, England's all-time top goalscorer and then-captain when Southgate first took charge following Sam Allardyce's controversial 2016 sacking, was unceremoniously dropped from the starting XI after just one game under the former Middlesbrough boss. The Manchester United legend - who'd even joined Southgate in his pre-match press conference the day prior - started on the bench and made little impact as a 73rd-minute substitute, as the Three Lions slumped to a 0-0 draw in Slovenia.
The following month for his third match as caretaker manager, the auditioning Southgate reinstalled Rooney to the starting XI - but it would prove to be his final game in an England shirt, barring a token cap against the United States in 2019. After a rousing 3-0 victory over Scotland at Wembley in World Cup qualifying, Rooney was captured on camera looking worse for wear at the team's Hertfordshire hotel.
The 5am incident prompted Southgate to make up his mind for good this time, spelling the end of the Three Lions icon's international career in dramatic fashion.
"I definitely didn't expect the manager to drop Wayne," Rooney's ex-England teammate, Rose, explained in 2018 - a year before he was axed from the squad following an untenable drop in performance level. "And as soon as we all saw that, we knew the gaffer was not somebody to be messed around with, because he's dropped arguably one of the best England players ever and the all-time top goal-scorer as well.
Have your say! Who must be in Southgate's World Cup squad? Give us your picks in the comments section.
"From the manager's first camp, he didn't choose certain people who had been in before. Even dropping people out of camps, you know he has this nice side to him but at the same time, he has a side that you don't want to cross. It literally is a case of 'Buy into what me and my coaching staff believe' – or he won't choose you."
Rose's tale proves that despite what many think, Southgate isn't to be trifled with when it comes to his core principles. Many of the 26 men included in England's as-yet-unknown squad going the World Cup in Qatar this month will know all about that, but it could be a steep learning curve for those less familiar with his non-negotiable methods.
The 52-year-old will no doubt send the nation into a frenzy when he names his long-awaited squad at 2pm on Thursday, for what could be his final tournament as Three Lions boss.
