Chelsea boss Antonio Conte offered a kind of consoling arm around Wayne Rooney last night.
The Manchester United and England international is on hot water after he was photographed with wine-stained lips at the England hotel last week.
His manager Jose Mourinho refused to publicly criticise Rooney after he embarked on a booze binge at a Hertfordshire hotel following England's World Cup qualifying win over Scotland last week.
Rooney was supposedly told by interim England coach Gareth Southgate to go to bed, but stayed up until 5am and reports claim the Football Association could strip him of the national team captaincy.
But the man who replaced Mourinho at Stamford Bridge refused to condemn England's all-time top scorer.
Admittedly, Conte says the English drinking culture is beyond him - but he understands only too well the art of celebrating.
“After the game, when the players have spare time, it's important I give them freedom," Conte explained.
"I want my players, when they have spare time, take responsibility above all because, when I was a footballer, I had this type of experience after games.
"It's normal, after matches, above all if you win the game, that you want to celebrate. But it's important, always, to think a nice game for me.”
How Conte might react if a member of the Blues squad ever turned up after a night hugging a bottle was neatly ducked.
"If it happens in the future I might have an answer," he added.
