John Terry leaps to defend compatriot Wayne Rooney on Instagram

John Terry and Wayne Rooney might have been lifelong rivals on their domestic teams, but they have a common bond in representing their country. That patriotic bond seems to supersede their Chelsea vs. Manchester United rivalry. On Tuesday, Terry took to Instagram to post an impassioned defense of Rooney, who has been lambasted by both Manchester U and England fans alike for his recent plummet in form.

Rooney has seen his role change drastically in the past couple of weeks. Not only has he dropped from Jose Mourinho's starting XI with the Red Devils, interim England boss Gareth Southgate revealed that the 30-year-old forward would be on the bench for England's match against Slovenia.

To his credit, Rooney is taking the news about as best as he can. "I have to work hard and, when I'm needed for both club and country, I'll make sure I'm ready," Rooney said about the demotions, via BBC Sport.

Terry is no stranger to feeling the heat from fans, either. The Chelsea captain, who retired from international duty in 2012, courted controversy nearly his entire career as a member of the Three Lions. His defense of Rooney might cause more than a few people to roll their eyes, but his intentions see to be in the right place.

Rooney is not the same player he once was, that much is clear. He's still an England legend, however, and should probably go out to something better than a chorus of boos and jeers.

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