Wayne Rooney has been named as England’s new captain by manager Roy Hodgson.
This is coming just weeks after he emerged the captain of Manchester United FC under new manager, Lusi van Gaal.
The Manchester United striker has won 95 caps for the national side since making his debut 11 years ago in a friendly against Australia in February 2003.
Rooney has scored 40 international goals.
The 28-year-old takes over the armband from Steven Gerrard, who retired from international football after England’s woeful showing at the World Cup in Brazil, where they failed to progress past the group stage.
“Wayne is an obvious choice for his honesty, commitment to the cause, his experience, the fact he has already captained England in the past,” Hodgson said.
“Now of course he’s got that responsibility at Manchester United as well. All those factors weighed into my thought process and I’m pleased to be able to say I’ve been able to offer it to him. I had a long conversation with him and he’s prepared to accept the pressures the England captaincy brings.”
Asked if he expected the move to spur Rooney on to even greater heights, however, Hodgson demurred.
“I try to shy away from that,” he said.
“I think it’s dangerous to demand that of people. We see so often in the past it takes you on to a new level but with 95 caps and all the goals he’s scored, all the things he’s done, we’ve already seen he’s prepared to take responsibility.
“We hope he continues to push on, he continues to play well and he shoulders the responsibility of the captaincy as well as the other captains before him.”
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