Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has hit back at former Liverpool star Steven Gerrard after his comments on England’s golden generation.

Despite the Three Lions oozing with talented players in the 2000s, England failed to get to the final of a major tournament with Fabio Capello and Sven-Goran Eriksson failing to get the best out of the players.

David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Jamie Carragher are just some of the players who were at the disposal of the managers.

Their failure to win anything in the first decade or so of the 2000s was put down to players failing to put club rivalries aside with Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal fighting for the same trophies.

Gerrard recently admitted that was one issue with the former Liverpool midfielder insisting that the England squad back then was full of “egotistical losers”.

He said on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast earlier this week: “We were all egotistical losers.

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“I watch the telly now and I see Jamie Carragher sitting next to Paul Scholes and they look like they’ve been best mates for 20 years.

“And I see Carragher’s relationship with Gary Neville and they look like they’ve been mates for 20 years. I’m probably more close and friendly with you [Ferdinand] now than I ever was when I played with you for 15 years [for England].

“So why didn’t we connect when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry?

“It was down to the culture within England. We weren’t friendly or connected. We weren’t a team. We never at any stage became a real good, strong team.

“I hated it. I didn’t enjoy it. Hated the [hotel] rooms.

“In my early days, I’d have days where I was down, like low down. Like I’m in this room for seven hours, what am I going to do?

“There was no social media, we didn’t have a DVD player or anything. Channel 1 to 5 or whatever it was on TV. I used to get low and down.

“I used to love the games. I used to love playing for England. I was really proud. I used to enjoy the training sessions but it was 90 minutes a day. And then I was just on my own.

“I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my team-mates, with England.

“I didn’t feel that with Liverpool. They were the best days of my life. I felt like the staff looked over me, like I felt special. I felt like I couldn’t wait to get there. With England, I just wanted the games and the training sessions and then to be away.”

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And former England team-mate Rooney thinks Gerrard’s comments are “disrespectful” as all the players in the Three Lions squads “worked hard”.

Rooney told his BBC podcast: “Obviously, we didn’t win anything. I wouldn’t quite put it that [Gerrard’s] way but I know what he’s saying. There was a lot of big characters in the dressing room.

“I wouldn’t say [England squads now have a] better attitude. That’s disrespectful to us as players because we worked hard, we tried. We didn’t quite manage to do it.

“Even when you look back with the players we had could we have done better? We could have but it wasn’t to be.

“What you have now is [rival teams’] players training [together] before they go back to pre-season together – Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford for instance.

“It’s a different generation. The big thing is the media coverage of it is much better. The players get on better with the media. From the outside that gives a better feeling.

“It [was] difficult to have that relationship with Liverpool and Man Utd players. It’s easier now.

“I speak to Steven all the time 1760106428. You can have better relationships now because you can have a beer together and relax more.

“I was fine with everyone, I got on with everyone. I was aware Becks [David Beckham] and Gary Neville and Scholesy [Paul Scholes], you could see they weren’t going to be close to the Liverpool players.

“But one thing for sure is everyone worked hard for each other. I don’t think that was an issue. We just didn’t manage to get over the line. I didn’t see that at all.”