England manager Roy Hodgson said Wednesday he had apologised to captain Wayne Rooney regarding his casual comment about the Liverpool accent, saying the last thing he meant to do was cause any offence given his wife is also from the north-west city.
Last week's squad announcement for this week's Euro 2016 qualifiers with San Marino and Estonia saw Hodgson — much-mocked for his difficulty in saying the letter 'r' correctly – suggest Merseyside-born Manchester United striker Rooney would not be able to lecture a room full of people because of his "Liverpool accent".
Hodgson took issue with the manner in which a throwaway comment became a backpage headline in Britain's national press, although he was in a mood to play down the incident at a news conference on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's clash with San Marino at Wembley.
"I have to be very careful when talking about accents and the way people speak," Hodgson said with a laugh.
"It took years for me to realise I had a speech defect, but it was made very clear to me when I took the job that I had one.
"I have been aware of it ever since so I am the last person to discuss accents.
"Fortunately, I have got a guy alongside me (Rooney) who has been with me for a long time and he knows that in no way was it aimed at home or anyone from Liverpool.
"My wife is from Liverpool so that is the last thing I would be doing.
"I have actually apologised to him for the headline, but he was so gracious that he didn't even want the apology."
