Wayne Rooney has said that he’s found an “upside” to England not qualifying for Euro 2008 - he can go on a honeymoon with fiancee Coleen McLoughlin.

Wayne told Hello magazine recently: “We knew that we wanted to get married next summer but the question was when we could do it.”

“For a while we couldn’t make any plans because I didn’t know whether I would be playing in Euro 2008 - but when we failed to qualify, as devastating as that was, we were able to come up with some firm dates.”

“Had England got through to the tournament then we would have married later on in the summer but that meant that we wouldn’t have had a honeymoon. So I guess there is some upside to it!”

He added that Coleen is “very much in charge” of their wedding plans and she is currently looking at venues around England, Ireland, France and Italy to find the perfect location for their nuptials. But that’s not to say it’s going to be a big fake celebrity wedding as Wayne explained: “I’ve asked Coleen’s uncle Sean to be my best man as he’s my best mate and she’s asked my cousin Claire to be her maid of honour.”

“They have been friends for years. It’s not going to be a big celebrity affair. It’s all about family and our old friends.”

“Of course, there will be some players from England and Man U. They may be famous but they’re my mates first. I wouldn’t invite people for the sake of it.”