Rooney to remain as England captain

Published: 30 August 2016, 05:01 AM
Rooney to remain as England captain

Wayne Rooney will retain his role as England captain, Three Lions boss Sam Allardyce has confirmed.

The Manchester United star has held the armband since 2014, when he took over from ex-Liverpool favourite Steven Gerrard.

And Allardyce announced there would be no change of skipper for his first matches in charge in September.

‘Wayne has been an excellent captain for England and the manner in which he has fulfilled the role made it an easy decision for me to ask him to continue,’ the manager told TheFA.com.

‘Wayne’s record speaks for itself. He is the most senior member of the squad and he is hugely respected by his peers. ‘All of these factors point towards him being the right choice to lead the team.’

With 115 appearances for the England team Rooney is tied with David Beckham as the most-capped outfield player of all time.

His 53 goals also make him the top scorer in Three Lions history, ahead of the likes of Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker.