EURO 2016: Players had '˜absolute faith' in boss Roy Hodgson insists Wayne Rooney

Less than 24 hours after England were ousted from Euro 2016 by Iceland, a result and a performance that proved an embarrassment for all involved and the end of road for Hodgson, stories emerged about splits in the camp.

There were suggestions that senior members of the squad were dissatisfied by some of Hodgson’s tactical decisions and selection calls, particularly the recall of Raheem Sterling for the Iceland match, but Rooney acted quickly to dismiss them.

The England skipper said: “In response to recent media reports, I’d like to say that is completely untrue.

“On behalf of the players, we completely supported the England manager, but we understand his reasons for stepping down.

“We had absolute faith in the build-up and throughout the tournament.”

That chimed with Hodgson’s own experiences.

Asked at a downbeat final press conference if he was aware of any dissension in the ranks, the 68-year-old said: “If it was true then they disguised it well from me and coaching staff.

“We had no indication from the players that they were anything but behind what we were doing, behind the game plans that we had. They tried hard to execute them.

“I never go into details. I don’t think that’s a matter for the public.

“What goes in the dressing room stays in the dressing room, that’s how it’s always been with me and how it will continue to be with me.”

And Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn hinted Gareth Southgate could be handed the England reins on an interim basis as a worldwide and potentially lengthy search for Hodgson’s permanent successor gets under way.

Glenn was not keen to talk names yesterday, but conceded England Under-21s manager Southgate would be a “pretty obvious” interim solution should they not appoint Hodgson’s successor by the first World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on September 4.

“We’ll see,” he said when asked of the time scale. “We’d like to get one for the first World Cup qualifier, but if we won’t we have an interim plan in mind. We will not rush this decision.”