Roy Hodgson: 'Rotating full-backs made sense'

Roy Hodgson manager of England looks thoughtful during the international friendly match between England and Portugal at Wembley Stadium on June 2, 2016 in London, England
© Getty Images
England boss Roy Hodgson says that his rotation of Tottenham Hotspur pair Kyle Walker and Danny Rose for the game against Slovakia should not have come as a surprise.

England boss Roy Hodgson has said that he made a logical decision when opting to leave out Kyle Walker and Danny Rose for the Euro 2016 clash with Slovakia.

Hodgson came in for criticism after making six changes for a must-win fixture, but the Three Lions coach has attempted to justify his decision by saying that it is rare for either Tottenham Hotspur full-back to play three successive games for their club.

He told Sky Sports News: "With the full-backs, it was more a case really of following what they do with the club sides. Walker and Rose don't, very often, play three matches in a row or in a week.

"At one stage, they weren't playing two matches in a week because [Mauricio] Pochettino was rotating the two sets of full-backs all of the time so I thought that was a very obvious thing to do for that game."

Both players are expected to return to the starting lineup when England face Iceland in the last 16 on Monday night.

Roy Hodgson watches on during an England training session on May 25, 2016
Read Next:
Hodgson to make six changes for Slovakia match?
>

Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal00000000
2Bournemouth00000000
3Burnley00000000
4Chelsea00000000
5Crystal Palace00000000
6Everton00000000
7Hull City00000000
8Leicester CityLeicester00000000
9Liverpool00000000
10Manchester CityMan City00000000
11Manchester UnitedMan Utd00000000
12Middlesbrough00000000
13Southampton00000000
14Stoke CityStoke00000000
15Sunderland00000000
16Swansea CitySwansea00000000
17Tottenham HotspurSpurs00000000
18Watford00000000
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom00000000
20West Ham UnitedWest Ham00000000