Wayne Rooney left Gary Lineker and his fellow pundits in hysterics after revealing his surprise phobia live on air.
Rooney and Lineker were joined by Theo Walcott and Glenn Murray for the live coverage of Brighton’s clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.
And after a quiet first half on the south coast, Lineker decided to turn the attention to Rooney who had revealed a rather unusual fact about himself earlier on in the day.
Having grown up in the spotlight since breaking through at Everton aged 17, there isn’t much that fans don’t know about the former England and Manchester United captain.
So many were therefore surprised to discover that the 39-year-old has an irrational fear of large fish.
‘We’ve still got little time to talk It wasn’t the most compelling first half but what we did learn earlier, during that first half, was that Wayne Rooney is scared of fish,’ Lineker said. ‘Tell us about that fear of fish Wayne.’
Trying to explain, Rooney said: ‘I just don’t like them.’
And with his fellow pundits cracking up around him, Rooney tried to clarify his phobia, adding: ‘It’s the big fish [that I’m scared off]. I do like fish.’
Teasing Rooney further, Lineker joked: ‘I’m only saying it because we’re only three or four miles from the coast here.’
With the action continuing at the Amex Stadium, there was nothing to separate either side as a game devoid of attacking quality went all the way to penalties.
And it was Forest who continued their remarkable season, with captain Ryan Yates scoring the winning spot kick to send his side to Wembley for the FA Cup semi-finals.
With Chris Wood injured, Nuno Espirito Santo controversially benched Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga, perhaps with one mind on a crucial midweek Premier League clash with Manchester United.
But speaking before kick-off, a bemused Rooney couldn’t make sense of the decision, saying: ‘I’m shocked.
‘I think the FA Cup is such a prestigious tournament and to rest players in the quarter-final when you’ve got a great opportunity to get to the semi-finals. They’re trying to get into Champions League football which is fine.
‘But as a player, you want to play, you want to get momentum, you want to keep trying to win games. To leave players out… If I was a fan, I’d be fuming.
‘You want to win silverware and this is a great opportunity. To leave players out when they’re not guaranteed to win the game on Tuesday is beyond belief for me.’
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